First Class
by Ryvian
Summary: A collection of ficlets featuring Zack and Sephiroth. Set after the Wutai War. [Now with a hint of Aeris and Cloud for flavor.]
1. 3 AM

**3 AM**

Zack turned over in bed for what seemed like the fiftieth time and looked at his alarm clock. It was 3 AM.

"Damn it…"

He had to be awake in a couple hours anyway, and since it looked like he wouldn't be getting any sleep, he figured he should just get up and find something to do to occupy himself.

He got out of bed, biting back a curse as his feet hit the cold cement floor. Shinra really didn't even bother with making troop quarters at Junon habitable; he hated when they had to come there, because he hardly got any sleep. The beds were the hardest thing he had ever slept on, and he had slept in some pretty strange places.

He threw on some civilian clothes and his boots, deciding that he was going for a walk.

It turned out to be a beautiful night for a walk. It wasn't too cold and the stars and moon were shining brightly in the cloudless sky. Zack stopped for a moment just outside the door of the barracks and looked up. He hardly ever got to see the stars anymore, living in Midgar.

He smiled and started on his way. Perhaps his unwanted insomnia would prove not to be so bad after all.

His walk took him to the docks and as he rounded a corner, he stopped short, surprised to see none other than Sephiroth sitting on one of the docks, looking out over the ocean.

Zack had once wondered how anyone could possibly be that beautiful, and sometimes he still did, especially at times like this. Sitting there, the moonlight shining on him, he appeared to be glowing with an ethereal light.

He stood there for awhile, reluctant to approach his friend, before the rational part of his mind kicked in and told him he was being an idiot, and, smiling at his silliness, he walked down the dock.

Sephiroth turned at the sound of his boots on the metal. His expression was impassive, as usual, though Zack could tell he was surprised to see him at this hour.

"What in the world are you doing all the way out here?" Zack asked him, coming to stand beside him.

"I could ask you the same," Sephiroth replied.

Zack sighed. Sephiroth was being his usual self and not telling him a thing.

"I couldn't sleep," Zack said, sitting down beside him.

Sephiroth turned his gaze back to the horizon. "Ah," he said.

"You didn't answer my question."

"I couldn't sleep either," Sephiroth said, "and I'm here because I enjoy looking at the stars."

"So you actually do sleep," Zack said, only partly teasing. He had seriously wondered whether Sephiroth slept, because he always worked so late and was up so early.

"Of course I do," Sephiroth said.

Zack lay back on the dock, putting his arms behind his head and looked at the night sky.

"You know, when I was little my mom used to tell me that when people died they became stars and they would stay up there forever watching over us," he said, smiling at the memory.

Sephiroth snorted, which was as close as he ever came to laughing. "You don't honestly believe that…"

"I don't know," Zack said, "Not really, I guess. It's interesting to think about it, though."

"It's the most idiotic thing I have ever heard."

Zack laughed. For being a phenomenal negotiator, his general wasn't very tactful. But then again, most of his "negotiations" ended with the other party with the tip of his very long and very sharp sword at their throat.

"Honestly! My mother would cry if she heard you say that," Zack said, trying his best to look offended without laughing.

Sephiroth actually cracked a smile as he looked up at the stars and Zack heard him whisper something that sounded very much like "mother".

* * *

_I feel like both Sephiroth and Zack are a little off in this one. Not quite sure why._

_Thank you for reading. _


	2. The Perils of Cooking

**The Perils of Cooking**

Sephiroth was reminded exactly why he hated cooking as he searched around for a towel or something to wrap around his hand, while dripping blood on his spotless countertop and floor. Every time he had attempted it, he hand ended up injured, covered in some sort of food item or nearly setting his apartment on fire.

He finally located a towel and wrapped it tightly around his injured hand, then leaned back against the counter. What the hell was he going to do now? He really didn't want to go to the infirmary and have to tell them that he had cut his hand while trying to slice an onion; it would be all over the building within days that the "Great General Sephiroth" couldn't cook.

He briefly thought of calling Zack, but his friend was out with that trooper friend of his, Cloud, and probably wouldn't be back for several more hours. He also didn't particularly want to be laughed at, so calling Zack was out.

Frowning, he threw the offending onion in the sink and sat down on the floor, his back against the cabinets. He pressed his other hand over the wounded one and winced as pain shot through it. He pressed harder, hoping that the wound wasn't so deep that pressure wouldn't stop the bleeding.

He nearly jumped out of his skin when he heard his door open, but didn't get up. Only one person would dare enter his apartment without knocking.

"Seph?"

Sure enough, it was Zack. Sephiroth wondered why he was back so early.

"In here," he said, and readied himself for the laughter that was sure to accompany Zack seeing him and his kitchen in such a condition.

He heard Zack kick his boots off and then footsteps, before he appeared in the doorway.

"What the hell?" he said, looking confused. He glanced around the kitchen before his eyes fell on Sephiroth and the blood spots on the floor.

He rushed in and crouched down next to Sephiroth. "What in the world did you do?"

"I was attempting to cut an onion," Sephiroth said, determined not to let his embarrassment show.

Zack looked at his wrapped hand and sighed. "You're hopeless…"

Sephiroth glared at him and Zack rolled his eyes.

"Don't you have any bandages or anything?" Zack said, "Or were you just going to sit there and bleed to death?"

"I would not bleed to death," Sephiroth said, "and no, I don't have bandages, since I rarely need them."

Zack shook his head and stood. "Hang on. I'll be right back," he said and left.

Sephiroth leaned back again and wondered at the oddity that was Zack. Here he was, sitting on his kitchen floor, having made a complete fool of himself, and Zack hadn't laughed at him; he hadn't even cracked a joke about it.

Zack returned not five minutes later with a roll of bandages and sat down next to him.

"Here," he said, holding out his hand, "Let me see it."

"I know how to bandage a wound, Zack," Sephiroth said, reaching for the roll of bandages.

Zack pulled them away. "I know you can," he said, "but not very well with one hand."

Sephiroth had to admit that his second-in-command had a point and he surrendered his hand. Zack took it and pulled it toward him and Sephiroth tried not to flinch. He hated to be touched, which was something he knew that Zack was aware of.

Zack unwrapped the towel and let out his breath with a whistle. "Damn…"

Zack let go of his hand and stood up. He went over to the sink and wet the towel before returning to Sephiroth's side and picking up his hand again.

Zack wiped the wound with the towel and Sephiroth held back a hiss of pain.

"You should've just ordered something in," Zack said. He set the cloth down and started winding the bandage around Sephiroth's hand.

"And have to deal with another awestruck delivery boy?" Sephiroth said, "No thank you."

Zack finished wrapping the bandage and tucked the end in before standing up and extending his hand to Sephiroth.

Sephiroth accepted it and allowed Zack to help him up. He then noticed just how many blood spots there were on the counters and floor.

"I should clean up," he said.

"You do that," Zack said, "I'm ordering a damn pizza."

Sephiroth didn't have time to remark about how bad pizza was for you, for Zack was already gone. He picked up the towel off the floor where Zack had left it and proceeded to wipe up all the blood.

Just as he was finishing, Zack reappeared. "I just remembered something I meant to ask you earlier."

Sephiroth raised and eyebrow. "Hmm?"

"Do you want to spar with me in the morning?" Zack said, "I've been feeling a little off lately and could use some practice."

"Alright," Sephiroth said.

Zack grinned. "Good. And I'm sure you'll enjoy having the upper hand, since, after all, I'm not an onion."

Zack barely had time to duck as Sephiroth threw said onion directly at his head.

* * *

_This one came from me having to cook earlier and thinking about how much I hate it. _

Once again, thanks for reading. More still to come.


	3. Sick Day

**Sick Day**

Sephiroth looked up at the clock for what seemed like the hundredth time. It was 10:17, which meant that his second-in-command was over an hour late. It wasn't unusual for Zack to come in late, especially on a Monday, but he was never this late.

He reached for the phone for the third time, actually intending to call Zack's apartment this time. It was late enough that it wouldn't seem like Sephiroth was calling because he was worried, which he was, but to chew Zack out for being so late.

He dialed the number and waited for an answer, preparing himself to yell at Zack for being late…and for making him worry, but Zack wouldn't need to know that.

"…Hello?" The voice on the other end barely sounded like Zack, it was so exhausted sounding and weak.

"Is there a reason you are over an hour late to work?" Sephiroth asked, his tone strictly business.

Zack groaned. "Huh…?" There was some shuffling, then a pause, and then, "Aw fuck!"

There were more shuffling sounds and then another groan and a muffled curse.

"Sorry," Zack said, "Be right there…"

Sephiroth sat there a few moments after he heard the click on the other end, wondering what the hell was going on, before setting the phone down and returning to his paperwork to occupy himself until Zack arrived.

Fifteen minutes later, Zack arrived and Sephiroth nearly dropped his pen when he saw him. For lack of a better description, Zack looked like shit. He was pale, there were dark circles under his eyes, he hadn't combed his hair and his uniform looked like he had just thrown it on, not caring what it looked like.

Zack sank into his chair and gave the pile of papers on his desk a thoroughly miserable look. Sephiroth watched him as he grabbed the paper on top and his pen, and started in on it, propping his head up with his free hand.

Sephiroth sighed quietly and went back to his own work. It wouldn't do to worry about Zack when there was work to do.

But, he found, as he did his work in complete silence, that it was strange not to have Zack interrupt him every few minutes with something completely pointless, and he wondered when that had gone from being annoying to something he actually enjoyed.

He looked up and saw that Zack was sprawled on his desk, his face buried in the crook of his arm. He sighed again and got up, figuring that he should give the man a break and send him home.

"Zack," he said.

"…What?" was the muffled response.

"Go home."

Zack lifted his head a little. "I don't think I can make it there…" he said.

Sephiroth was about to make an exasperated reply, when he realized that Zack was being completely serious.

He walked around next to Zack's chair and held out his hand. "Come on."

He knew he had work to do, but screw Shinra; he was going to help his friend.

Looking relieved, Zack took his hand and Sephiroth helped him up and then out the door and into the nearest elevator. He pressed the button labeled "45", figuring it would just be easier to take Zack to his apartment, since Zack's own was further away.

"Where are you taking me…?" Zack said, leaning against him.

"My apartment," Sephiroth said, as the elevator started to descend.

Zack didn't say anything, only leaned more of his weight against Sephiroth. Sephiroth could feel the warmth coming off of Zack, even through his leather coat, which led him to believe that he had a fever.

The elevator stopped and the door opened. Sephiroth helped Zack down the hall to his apartment, and slid his keycard through the lock, before helping Zack inside.

He eased his friend onto the couch and Zack slid his boots off with shaky hands and leaned back.

"Lie down," Sephiroth said.

Zack did as he was told and Sephiroth went and got the blanket from his bed, bringing it back and draping it over Zack.

Zack curled up under the blanket with a small sigh.

Sephiroth, confident that Zack would be alright by himself, figured he'd better go back and finish the paperwork.

"I'm going back to the office," he said, "You may stay here as long as you wish."

He headed for the door.

"Seph…"

He stopped at Zack's call and turned back toward his friend.

There was a small smile on Zack's face. "Thanks."

Sephiroth inclined his head in response, then continued toward the door.

* * *

_Thanks to everyone who reviewed! I really appreciate the feedback._  



	4. Sick Day Part Two

**Sick Day - Part Two**

It was nearly midnight by the time Sephiroth finally left the office and returned to his apartment. On the way down, he had been wondering if Zack would still be in his apartment, but the light that was now filtering under his door told him that he was.

He went in and unbuckled his boots and set them by the door, then went into the living room. Zack was sitting on the couch with the blanket wrapped around him, watching television; Sephiroth was pleased to see that he looked almost normal.

Zack looked over at him and grinned. "Hey, did you know you get some really great porn channels?"

Sephiroth rolled his eyes. Yeah, he was back to normal, all right…

"Another late night at the office," Zack said, "I would've come back, but I just woke up."

Sephiroth sat down. "I assume you feel better."

"Yeah, tons," Zack said, "I knew those mako treatments would be good for something."

That was one of the good things about SOLDIER members, the mako meant that they rarely got sick and if they did, it only lasted a few hours instead of a few days. Sephiroth had such a high level that he never got sick at all, aside from the headaches he got every so often.

Sephiroth's weary mind was momentarily distracted by the news program that was on the television. The anchor was spewing the usual crap that Shinra put out to the masses to keep them loyal. Frankly, he thought it was disgusting and wondered how anyone could really be so blind as to not see what Shinra was really doing.

He rubbed his temple; as a matter of fact, he was getting one of those infrequent headaches right now.

"Hey, Seph?"

Sephiroth looked over at him.

"Thanks again for hauling me down here earlier," Zack said.

Sephiroth didn't know what to say. No one had ever thanked him for anything. What did one say in response? He had absolutely no idea.

If Zack noticed his discomfort, he didn't show it, just grinned and threw an arm around his shoulders.

Sephiroth tensed involuntarily. He still wasn't used to anyone touching him in a friendly manner. He was so used to pain following any sort of contact, as it always had when the scientists touched him, that his muscles automatically contracted in preparation.

He sighed and willed himself to relax. He was much more easily agitated when he was tired.

Zack kept his arm where it was and turned his attention to the television, and Sephiroth looked at it as well, though he didn't pay attention to it, letting his mind wander. After having to be so on edge all day, it felt good to be able to relax.

Sephiroth surprised himself a few minutes later, when he started to doze off. He let himself, too tired to get up and go to bed.

He was roused from his half sleep when Zack removed his arm. He suppressed a yawn, annoyed that the pleasant relaxed feeling was starting to dissipate.

"Go to bed," Zack said.

Sephiroth's exhausted body forced him to agree. He got up and Zack did too, shutting off the television.

Zack handed him the blanket with a smile. "See ya in the morning."

Zack headed for the door, but stopped with his hand over the button to open it.

"By the way," he said, over his shoulder, "A good response to 'thank you' is 'you're welcome.'"

* * *

_Sorry for the late update. I've been trying to write one of these everyday, but yesterday wasn't a good day, so I didn't feel much like writing. I'll probably have another one done today to make up for it._  



	5. The Truth

**The Truth**

"Man, Hojo's gonna kick your ass…"

Sephiroth looked up from the files he was thumbing through. "I'm not afraid of him," he said, before returning his attention to the files.

Zack knew that was a lie. Sephiroth was afraid of Hojo. In fact, Hojo seemed to be the only thing Sephiroth was afraid of. Zack had no idea why, but he had never dared to ask.

Sephiroth pushed the drawer shut with an exasperated sigh and started in on the one above it. Zack wasn't quite sure what he was looking for. When Sephiroth had shown up at his door half an hour before, around 4 AM, and asked him to come with him, the urgency in his voice had made Zack go without question. He hadn't even asked why his friend wasn't asleep at such an ungodly hour and looked like he hadn't gone to bed at all.

Zack leaned back against the wall and crossed his arms over his chest. "What are you looking for, anyway?"

"Hojo's been hiding something from me," Sephiroth said, "and I want to know the truth."

Oh, so that was it. Zack almost slapped himself for not realizing. Sephiroth had said before that he knew almost nothing of his parents or where he was born.

"Have you ever considered that you might be better off not knowing?" Zack said, "Ignorance is bliss and all that."

Sephiroth ignored him, pushing the current drawer shut as well. He sighed again and leaned forward, resting his forehead on the top edge of the file cabinet.

"It's useless…" he muttered, and Zack was shocked by how utterly worn out he sounded.

Zack moved away from the wall. "Seph…"

Sephiroth moved away from the cabinet and headed for the door without a word. Zack followed after him, his chest tight with worry.

They entered the elevator and Sephiroth pressed "44", and then leaned against the wall as the elevator began its descent.

Zack looked over at him. He had never seen Sephiroth look as defeated as he did right then; his partially shadowed eyes spoke of loss and frustration.

Zack touched his shoulder and gave him a concerned look. Sephiroth glanced at him for a fraction of a second before turning away.

The elevator stopped at 44 and the doors opened, but Zack made no move to get off. He couldn't leave his friend in this state.

"Seph…" He gripped Sephiroth's shoulder as the doors slid shut again.

"Leave me alone, Zack…" Sephiroth said in a very commanding tone.

"No," Zack said.

"Leave me alone," Sephiroth said, the icy anger that usually made people shrink back in fear in his voice.

"No," Zack said, getting slightly angry himself, "I'm worried about you, damn it!"

Sephiroth pushed Zack's hand off his shoulder and turned around to face him. The fierce look in his eyes made Zack's blood run cold and he backed up a few paces involuntarily.

"Seph…You're scaring me…" he said, the wall cold against his back.

That seemed to snap Sephiroth out of whatever strange mood had overtaken him.

"I apologize," he said, looking away again.

Zack sighed. "Come on," he said, and pushed the button to open the doors.

Sephiroth looked at him. "What?"

"There's only a couple hours before work and it's not like either of us is going to get any sleep," Zack said, "So, come on. I'll make you some tea."

"Fine."

Ten minutes later, they were sitting on Zack's couch drinking tea. Sephiroth's morose mood seemed to be persisting, and Zack was still worried.

"Hey, cheer up," Zack said.

Sephiroth didn't say anything, merely took another drink.

"I can kick Hojo in the nuts next time I see him if that'll make you feel better."

Zack was rewarded with a snort and a small smile from Sephiroth.

"Oh, so it would?" Zack said, grinning, "I'll make sure to do it then."

"I'll make sure to misplace the conduct referral forms," Sephiroth said.

Zack laughed, glad that he had managed to make his friend feel better.

* * *

_Thanks again for all the nice reviews! It makes me happy to get them _  



	6. Incident, What Incident?

**Incident, What Incident?**

_For Travithian Axile. Enjoy._

Sephiroth raised an eyebrow as his second-in-command came barreling into the office at top speed, nearly plowing his chair over as he threw himself into it and sat there slightly red-faced and gasping for breath.

"Do I dare ask?" he said.

Zack grinned. "Remember…the other…night when I…said I was going to kick Hojo in the balls?"

Sephiroth was overcome by a distinct feeling of dread. "You didn't…"

Zack's grin got bigger. "I did."

"Zack…"

"He's gonna be up here as soon as he can walk, too," Zack said.

Sure enough, ten minutes later, Hojo stormed into the office without even knocking. Zack busied himself with his paperwork, but he was fighting to keep a straight face.

"Are you aware of what your subordinate has just done?" Hojo said, fuming.

Sephiroth feigned bored ignorance. "I can't say that I am," he said, his voice taking on a twin bored tone.

"Surely you've heard from someone about the 'incident' that just happened in the hall?" Hojo said, getting more angry by the second.

Sephiroth delighted in the way the vein in his forehead was throbbing for a moment before answering.

"Incident?" Sephiroth said, "I am not aware of any incidents."

"Your subordinate just _attacked_ me!" Hojo yelled, gesturing wildly.

"That's impossible, Professor," Sephiroth said, "Zack has been here in the office all morning."

Hojo's face grew redder and he opened his mouth, probably to call Sephiroth a liar, but seemed to think better of it and instead huffed and stomped out.

There was silence for a few seconds after the door shut behind him, before Zack howled with laughter.

"Did you see the look on his face?" Zack said.

"You do realize how much trouble you could have gotten us both into," Sephiroth said, though he was smiling.

"Nah," Zack said, "I knew you'd find a way out of it. You can weasel your way out of anything, especially with _that_ sitting right there." Zack jerked his head in the direction of Masamune, which was propped up against the wall within reach of Sephiroth's chair.

Sephiroth sighed and shook his head.

Zack rubbed the back of his neck, looking sheepish. "Thanks for bailing me out, though."

"You're welcome," Sephiroth said, "Just don't do it again."

Zack grinned. "Yes sir."

* * *

_Yay for writing in the middle of the night! Much praise to the gods of caffeine for creating Mountain Dew._  



	7. Important Things

**Important Things**

_Inspired by an RPG I run/participate in over on LiveJournal. _

The images would not go away. He could still see his sword slicing through the body of another victim. He could almost feel the hot blood on his hands and smell the metallic odor of it, and he swore that if he looked down he would see it, too.

Zack forced himself to concentrate on his work, trying to still his trembling hand long enough to sign the bottom of the report. It didn't help anything that everything in his stack of papers seemed to be on Wutai. It didn't help one bit.

He set the pen down and took a deep breath. He needed to get himself under control if he was going to get anything done. He was the General's second-in-command now, so he had an image to uphold. It wouldn't reflect well on SOLDIER if the Lieutenant General looked like some sort of nut job.

He got up. "I'll be right back," he said.

Sephiroth didn't even look up from his work, but responded with a dismissive wave of his hand.

Zack went down the hall to the employee bathroom and was very relieved to find it completely empty. He turned the water on cold and splashed some on his face, before straightening and looking at himself in the mirror.

He gave a pathetic chuckle at his reflection. He looked perfectly normal; there was no indication on the outside of the turmoil that was going on inside him. That was just how he wanted it; if he was all smiles no one would notice that there was anything wrong with him.

He shut the water off, dried his hands and went back to the office. When he got back, he found Sephiroth wasn't at his own desk, but in front of _his_, leaning back against it with his arms crossed over his chest, and he did not look pleased.

"What's up?" Zack said, trying to sound nonchalant.

Sephiroth gestured to the pile of unfinished paperwork on the desk. "You have hardly done any work," he said, "Would you care to tell me what's going on?"

The last wasn't a simple question, it was an order, and Zack ignored it.

"Nothing," Zack said, "I'm just a little distracted today, that's all."

Sephiroth fixed him with a cool stare. "You're lying."

Sephiroth's eyes dared him to deny it. The next lie died before it reached his lips.

"Now, tell me what's going on," Sephiroth said.

Zack looked at the floor, feeling suddenly ashamed. "I…keep thinking about the war…all those people I killed…I can still see them."

Zack heard Sephiroth move away from his desk, but he didn't look up. That is, until Sephiroth came to stand directly in front of him.

"Are you alright?" Sephiroth said. Zack was surprised at how concerned he sounded.

Zack thought about lying, but figured that Sephiroth would see right through it like he had the last.

"I don't know…" he said.

Sephiroth watched him for a long moment, his eyes slightly narrowed, then his expression softened much more than usual. "Do you want to…talk about it?"

Zack stared at him, the anxiety he'd felt fading into the background to be replaced by shock. "Who are you and what have you done with Sephiroth?"

Sephiroth said nothing, almost as if he had not heard Zack's remark, waiting for an answer.

Zack sighed. "There's no point. You were there."

"Apparently I wasn't," Sephiroth said, "at least not in the capacity I should have been."

Sephiroth continued, seemingly ignoring the shocked look that Zack was sure he was sporting. "I was focused too much on the mission and neglected the…important things."

Zack realized that Sephiroth had just said in his own strange way that he cared and that made him feel better than he had in days. His shocked look formed into a small smile.

"I…" Sephiroth began, but Zack stopped him by laying a hand on his arm.

"No need," Zack said, "You don't need to say anything else."

Sephiroth nodded once, a slight smile on his lips. He returned to his desk and Zack took that as a cue to get back to his own work.

Just as he sat down, Sephiroth came over with a stack of paperwork. In one fluid motion, he picked up the stack from Zack's desk and replaced it with the one in his hands, before heading back to his desk as if nothing had happened.

Zack looked down at the new stack and saw that they were applications for SOLDIER. Sephiroth had taken the all reports and, with them, the reminders of Wutai.

He looked up and gave his already hard at work commander a smile.


	8. Friend

**Friend**

Zack had been wondering how long the General was going to last when he had come in that morning looking like he hadn't slept in days.

Sephiroth had been gone for a few days to Wutai to take care of a small rebel group that hadn't been completely weeded out during the war and had just returned that morning. He had obviously not slept the entire time, given the dark circles under his eyes and how irritable he'd been.

Zack shook his head with a sigh. He would never understand why Sephiroth would do that to himself. Sure, he was better than your average SOLDIER, but even he needed a break once and awhile.

His body had obviously decided for him that now was the time for such a break, as he was currently slumped in his chair, asleep. Zack didn't see any need to wake him, since there wasn't much paperwork left to be done and they probably wouldn't have any visitors now that it was afternoon. Sephiroth would probably be mad when he awoke, but Zack would worry about that when the time came.

He signed the last of his stack of papers, rolled his chair away from the desk, and stretched with a wide yawn. Then he stood and tiptoed over to Sephiroth's desk, trying to be as quiet as he could.

He had actually managed to grab the stack of paperwork off the desk before Sephiroth awoke and saw him.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm going to do the rest of your work," Zack said, with a smile.

"You are not," Sephiroth said, eyes slightly narrowed.

"Come on, Seph," Zack said, "You're exhausted."

Sephiroth looked like he was about to protest, but Zack cut him off.

"Don't try to deny it. I can tell you haven't really slept in days."

"I'm fine," Sephiroth said.

Zack almost laughed, but he figured that would just annoy his friend even more. Instead, he sat down on the edge of the desk and peered at Sephiroth with concern.

"You don't look fine," he said.

Sephiroth took the stack of papers from him and started reading the top one, clearly ignoring him. But Zack wasn't going to give up that easily.

He set his hand down firmly in the center of the report. "Hey now," he said, "Quit doing my work."

Sephiroth looked at his hand and then up at him. "It is not your work."

"Sure it is," he said, with a grin. He snatched it up and scurried over to his desk, where he set the stack down with a flourish and then turned back toward Sephiroth.

"It's on my desk, isn't it?" he said, grin growing, "So it must be mine."

Zack noticed the subtle signs that his stoic General was annoyed; the slight downturn of the corners of his mouth, his hand clenched into a fist on the desk. He ignored them, of course, and sat down, ignoring Sephiroth just as he had him.

He could feel Sephiroth's eyes on him all the way through the first report. Finally, after he had signed it, he set it in the Out box and looked up to find Sephiroth regarding him, all signs of annoyance gone.

"What?" he said.

"I…was just thinking," Sephiroth replied.

Zack grinned. "'bout how totally awesome I am, right?"

Sephiroth was silent for a moment before he spoke. "Why?"

"Why, what?" Zack said, though he knew exactly what Sephiroth was asking.

"Why do you…do things like this?"

"Hey, someone's gotta look after you," Zack said, "Who knows what'd happen if I wasn't around."

Sephiroth gave him a look that said, 'Quit fooling around'.

"Because you're my friend," Zack said, simply.

Sephiroth looked down at his desk, his brow furrowed. It had been clear to Zack from the beginning that no one had ever given a rat's ass about Sephiroth, other than as their General or a – he suppressed a shudder at the thought – test subject in years, if not his entire life. It must have been strange to be called a friend.

Even so, Zack had made it pretty damn clear that he cared, so Sephiroth really shouldn't have been as surprised as he still seemed to be by his actions.

"Damn it, Seph," Zack said, "You know I care about you; you'd have to be stupid not to, and I know you're far from it. So quit acting like this is some huge surprise."

Sephiroth looked back at him then, his expression just as impassive as before and said, "You had better do those well."

Zack smiled. The gratitude was unspoken, but it was there nonetheless.

'It's good to be appreciated,' Zack thought, and got back to work.

This would be the best paperwork he had ever done.

* * *

_Sorry for the lack of updates, everyone. This fic is now up on my writing LJ (linked in my profile) and I'll be posting review responses there too, starting with this chapter, as well as a post you can reply to if you have something you'd like to see in this fic._  



	9. Broken Hearted

**Broken Hearted**

Sephiroth prodded Zack's motionless body with his boot. He had been extremely surprised when he returned from the office later than usual and found his second-in-command passed out on the floor of his apartment.

Zack continued to snore, oblivious. Sephiroth shook his head and kicked him again.

This time Zack groaned and his eyes opened a crack and he rolled off his stomach, looking up at Sephiroth with bleary eyes. "Whadyawant…?"

Sephiroth sighed. Zack was completely drunk.

"Would you care to tell me why you were passed out on my floor?"

Zack blinked, looking confused. "Huh?" He pushed himself up and looked around. "Shit…Don' remember coming here…"

"How much did you drink?" Sephiroth said.

"Hell…I dunno…" Zack replied. He picked himself up and staggered the few feet to the couch, slumping down on it.

Sephiroth looked at him with concern he would have hidden had Zack been sober. Zack rarely drank himself into a state like this and when he did, it meant he was very upset about something or something had happened.

He sat down next to Zack. "What happened?"

"My girl said she didn' wanna see me anymore…" He leaned forward, elbows on his knees, and dug his hands into his hair.

Sephiroth had no idea what to say to that. He couldn't understand the feeling, having never been through it himself, so he said nothing.

"Shit…I love her…" Zack continued. His voice wavered and in the next instant he was crying. "But her mom says I'm 'bad news'…I'll only break 'er heart, she says…So, she goes an' breaks mine…What kinda messed up shit is that…?"

"Fuck…" Zack wiped his eyes. "Been cryin' the whole damn night."

He leaned his head back on the couch and looked up at the ceiling silently for a moment and Sephiroth watched him. Zack was always so cheery that seeing him like this was a shock and he didn't know how to react to his friend when he was like this.

"I remember why I came here now," Zack said, still looking at the ceiling, "Didn' wanna be alone…I woulda went ta Spike's, but it's late and I figured he'd be sleepin'…Didn' want 'im to see me like this, either…"

"But you…I knew you wouldn' be asleep. Ya never sleep...An' I knew you'd listen ta me, no matter what I was sayin', 'cause you always do. Then you'd tell me ta stop bein' stupid, like you always do…"

He started crying again. "Damn it…"

Sephiroth sighed. "Zack."

Zack looked at him.

"Go to sleep," he said.

"Good idea…" Zack said, "You always have good ideas…"

"Zack…"

"Fine, fine…" Zack laid down and was asleep instantly.

Sephiroth stood and covered him with the blanket he now kept draped over the back of the couch for just such an occasion. Pretty soon his couch was going to have a Zack shaped indent in it.

* * *

_Woo! Another part already! _ _It seems my Zack-muse has returned, which makes me very happy. There will be a second part to this very soon. Review responses for the last part are up at my LJ (thanks to Travithian Axile for the idea)_  



	10. Broken Hearted Part Two

**Broken Hearted – Part Two**

Sephiroth made his way into the barely lit living room at 8 AM to find Zack curled up under the blanket, still asleep, and stood there, looking down at him. He couldn't remember a time when he had seen his friend in such bad shape.

Shaking his head, he reached out and shook Zack. No matter what condition he was in, they still had to be in the office in an hour.

Zack awoke with a groan and blinked up at him for a moment, looking confused, before a look of recognition crossed his face. "Oh…" he said. He rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand, then looked back at Sephiroth as he sat up.

"Sorry 'bout last night," he said, "Made a complete fool outta myself…"

"Forget it," Sephiroth said, the words coming out rougher than he meant them to.

Zack fell back onto the couch. "Damn, I feel like shit...You got any pain medicine?"

"In the bathroom," Sephiroth said.

Zack got up and headed toward the bathroom.

Sephiroth went into the kitchen to pour the coffee that would be ready by now. He got out two mugs and poured the coffee, grateful that Zack had convinced him to buy an automatic coffee maker with a timer. No more trudging down to the staff lounge at dawn only to find that someone had finished all the coffee and it hadn't been replaced.

As he added the sugar and creamer that Zack liked in his, he wondered about this girl Zack spoke about. She was young, that much was certain, for she had listened to her mother. Either that or she was an idiot, but that didn't seem likely; as flirtatious as Zack was, he was careful about who he had an actual relationship with.

He picked up the mugs and took them into the living room, setting them down on the coffee table. Zack hadn't emerged from the bathroom yet, which was odd because it had been at least 5 minutes. Perhaps he couldn't find the medicine. He flipped the light on and then went to go see what was keeping him.

The bathroom door was closed and there were muffled sobs coming from inside. Now, this was something Sephiroth could relate to. He had sat in his bathroom doing the very same thing a few times, though he would never admit to it to anyone, and since he had been in the situation before, it was only logical that he'd be able to think of a way to help.

The answer came to him more quickly than he thought it would.

He knocked softly on the door. "Zack?"

There was no answer, not even a 'go away'. Sephiroth assumed that meant that Zack wouldn't mind him entering, so he turned the knob and pushed the door open slowly to reveal Zack sitting against the wall with his legs pulled up to his chest and his face buried in his knees.

Sephiroth stood there in the doorway. Never had he imagined that such a strong person could look as defeated as Zack did at that moment.

"Zack," he said, to get his attention.

Zack didn't even move. It was as if he wasn't even aware that Sephiroth was there at all.

Sephiroth sighed. There was only one way he could think of to get Zack to snap out of it. He hated to do it, but he had to; he couldn't just leave Zack there.

"Lieutenant General Donovan!" he said, in the tone he used when giving orders to the troops.

Zack started and looked at him, surprise on his tear-streaked face. Sephiroth had never referred to him that way, something they both were well aware of, it seemed.

"Remove yourself from my bathroom," Sephiroth ordered, stepping out of the doorway and to the side.

"Yessir…" Zack said, his voice flat. He got up and shuffled out of the bathroom.

"Wait," Sephiroth said, just as Zack passed him.

Zack turned and Sephiroth wondered, as he thought of what he was about to do, if it would have been better to just let Zack go. But, he told himself, no matter how uncomfortable it was for him, it was his duty; Zack had done so much for him, it was the least he could do.

He took a deep breath and put his arms around Zack, who stiffened in surprise.

"Seph…?" Zack said, the same surprise in his voice.

Sephiroth said nothing and remained where he was, and it wasn't long before Zack relaxed and buried his head against his shoulder, breaking down again.

Sephiroth stood in silence as his only friend cried his heart out and thought about how strange it felt to have someone else this close to him. He couldn't remember ever hugging anyone and he'd never really been hugged; Zack would put an arm around his shoulders occasionally, but that was as close as he had ever gotten.

It was strange, but it wasn't bad, he realized. As Zack moved away, he actually found himself wanting it to last longer.

"Are you finished?" he said, ignoring the wet spot on his shirt.

Zack sniffed. "Yeah."

"Come on. The coffee's getting cold," Sephiroth said, and headed for the living room.

He sat down on the couch and grabbed his mug as Zack did the same.

Sephiroth took a sip of his coffee and said, "When you're finished you are to take the day off, go find that girl, and tell her what you told me last night."

Zack stared at him. "But…"

"That's an order, soldier."

"Yes, sir."

"Also, I would like to meet this girl," Sephiroth said. He had to see the cause of such turmoil for himself.

Zack smiled. "I think that can be arranged. She hangs around this old church a lot; I bet you'd love it."

* * *

_I decided to use 'Donovan' here, because it's my favorite of Zack's fan-made last names. I'm wondering if I should write a part where Seph meets Aeris now. What do you guys think?_ _Review responses for the last part are up at my LJ, as usual._  



	11. Tis The Season

'**Tis The Season**

Zack nodded absently, pretending to pay attention to what the SOLDIER that he had struck up a conversation with was saying, as his eyes scanned the room.

The president's office was decked out in its usual manner for this yearly celebration, red, green, gold, and silver tinsel hung from the ceiling, and there were several beautifully decorated trees against the walls. The president's desk had been covered with a festive red velvet cloth and various holiday foods were laid out upon it. Shinra had even gotten a small band to play this year.

Zack loosened his tie a little and continued to scan the room. Where the hell had Sephiroth gotten off to? He seemed to have the strange habit of slipping away unnoticed. You'd think someone like him wouldn't be capable of that, but, there was no sign of him.

"'scuse me," he said to the SOLDIER, interrupting the story that had clearly been meant to impress him, "There's something I gotta do."

He made a hasty retreat and wandered around the room hoping to catch a glimpse of his missing commander or some clue as to where he had gone.

"Oi!"

He looked in the direction of the call and saw one of the Turks heading for him, the redheaded one; Reno, if he remembered correctly.

"You're the Lieutenant General, right?" Reno said.

Zack nodded. "Call me Zack, though."

Reno grinned wryly. "'kay. Zack it is! You're lookin' for the General, aren't ya?"

"Yeah," Zack said, "Do you know where he went?"

"Saw him go outside awhile ago," Reno said, jerking his head toward the open door to the roof, "Looked pretty pissed."

"He always looks like that," Zack said. He started toward the door, but then stopped and looked back over his shoulder. "Thanks."

Reno raised his glass in response.

Zack emerged into the cooler air outside and spotted Sephiroth instantly. He was leaning on the cement guard a few feet away, looking out over the city. There was no one else around, probably because Sephiroth was there and the more annoying of Shinra's employees were currently busy bothering someone else.

Zack joined him and stood there in silence for a moment, enjoying the cool night air. It was a welcomed change after the stuffiness inside.

"Some party, huh?" he said, looking out at the city lights. He'd always thought the city looked almost magical at night. It would have been, had it been any place other than Midgar.

Sephiroth said nothing. Zack looked at him and noticed that he was looking a great deal more morose than usual.

"Hey…what's got you so down?" Zack said, "I mean I know you hate these things, but…"

Sephiroth closed his eyes with a sigh and clenched his hand into a fist on the cement. "I hate…Yule."

"Why?" Zack said, "What's there to hate about it? Everyone's happy this time 'a year."

"Happy…" Sephiroth said, bitterness in his voice. "I…was never happy on Yule."

He sighed again. "I told you I have lived here most of my life…There was only one day out of the year where there were other children around, and that was today. Shinra used to hold a banquet for all of the children living on the plate and their families. They were always so happy, showing each other the gifts they'd received.

"I remember the first year I went, I asked one of them why he had gotten a gift and he looked at me like I was insane. I had never gotten a gift on Yule, so I didn't know about it."

Zack was shocked. "No presents?"

Sephiroth shook his head. "Never," he said, and added quietly, "Until last year…"

"Damn…" Zack said, "I'm sorry."

Then he grinned, remembering that he had brought the present he'd gotten Sephiroth with him, not intending on going back to his apartment after the party. He pulled the small package out of his jacket pocket.

He'd decided on deep red paper with silver accents on it this year, which was perfect for the contents of the box. It was a dragon armlet with a summon materia, and not just any summon materia; it was a mastered Knights of the Round. It had taken him months to master the materia after he had been lucky enough to find it in a store. The dragon armlet had been difficult to locate as well; in the end he had traded a large amount of gil and his mastered Bolt materia for it to be ordered out of a shop on the other side of the world and sent to Midgar.

"Here," he said, holding the box out, "Happy Yule."

Sephiroth looked down at the box, as if he was making sure it was really there.

Zack laughed. "Just open it."

Sephiroth took it and un-taped one end, then slid the box out and opened it. He stared at its contents for a moment and then touched the materia. Seconds later, he withdrew his hand and looked at Zack.

"This is…"

Zack grinned. "Knights of the Round. Mastered."

"How…?"

Sephiroth appeared to not be able to form complete sentences. Zack figured that meant he had succeeded in surprising him.

"Did it myself," Zack said.

Sephiroth stared at him and Zack had to laugh at the surprised look on his face.

"The look on your face is priceless!" he said.

Sephiroth's face immediately went back to its usual impassiveness. He closed the box and slid it into his suit jacket.

"Thank you," Sephiroth said, with a small smile.

Zack smiled back. "Anytime."

* * *

_Longest part yet! Woo! Yes, I am aware that Christmas and Yule are not really the same thing; I just figured they probably wouldn't celebrate Christmas and Yule seemed appropriate, so there you have it! Part Two of Broken Hearted will be up within the next two days, I just had to finish the Christmas one now. Review responses for the last part will be up at my LJ soon. Merry Christmas everyone!_  



	12. Like A Flower

**Like A Flower**

Sephiroth looked around the small church as he followed Zack up the aisle between the pews. He couldn't understand why a young girl would be hanging around in a place like this. It was old and run down and…

His thoughts abruptly stopped as his eyes fell on the most beautiful flowers he had ever seen.

"Flowers…in Midgar…" he muttered, "Impossible…"

He looked to Zack for an explanation, but Zack just smiled and looked around. "Oi! Aeris!" he called.

"Zack?"

A girl emerged from a doorway behind the flowerbed with a watering can in her hands. Sephiroth's first thought was that she was beautiful, just like the flowers, innocent and untainted by her surroundings.

"Oh! You didn't tell me you were bringing anyone!" she said, seeming positively delighted.

She set the watering can down and came over to them, then looked up at Sephiroth with eyes that were far older than the young girl that possessed them. He could tell, as he stood there, her gaze locked with his own, that there was more to this girl than met the eye.

She smiled. "Hello, Sephiroth."

He wasn't at all surprised that she recognized him. He was in the newspapers so often, after all.

He nodded in response to her greeting.

"I'm Aeris," she said, "Zack told me you were the one that convinced him to come back. Thank you."

She pushed herself up on her toes and kissed him on the cheek. He tried to keep from looking shocked. No one had ever done that before. Usually people were too afraid of him, but he got the feeling that she was treating him just as she would anyone else, as if he was nothing special. It was very nice.

She giggled at him and grabbed his hand, and before he knew what was happening he was being pulled toward the flowers.

She released him in front of the flower bed and he looked at Zack and found him watching, amusement in his eyes. He shot his friend a glare and Zack grinned.

"Do you like flowers, Sephiroth?" Aeris asked.

He found himself smiling a little at the melodic way she said his name. He had never heard anything quite like it.

"I cannot say," he replied, "because I hadn't seen any until today."

"Really?" Aeris said, looking a little sad at the thought.

Sephiroth nodded.

"Do you like these?"

Sephiroth looked down at the flowers and breathed in, smelling their sweet fragrance. "Yes," he answered softly.

Zack slid his arm around her waist and smiled at her. "C'mon now, you're makin' me jealous."

She smiled back. "Don't be silly!"

"That's like telling a chocobo not to be a giant bird," Zack said.

She laughed and pushed him away. Zack stuck out his lower lip and pouted, as she knelt down and started watering the flowers.

Sephiroth found it hard to keep from laughing at their antics. He covered it with a cough, but couldn't keep the smile off his face.

"Would ya look at that!" Zack said, looking at him, "You must have special powers, Aer. It took me half a year to get him to smile."

Sephiroth tried to hide the smile, but it refused to go away.

"It's nice," Aeris said. She got up and came over to him, then she said softly in his ear, "They say you should smile more."

She went back to watering the flowers and Sephiroth watched her, puzzled. When she had said that, her voice had sounded completely different; the voice had matched her eyes, its tone unbefitting of her age.

He wondered who she could have been talking about. The way she said it made it sound like it was someone he knew, but how could she possibly have known anyone he did?

"Aer, we gotta go," Zack said, "Got lots of work to do."

Sephiroth realized with a shock, that he had completely forgotten about the work they had left behind in the office. This had to have been the first time in months that he hadn't been thinking about work, even in the back of his mind.

Aeris got up. "Ok," she said, "You're going to come back later right?"

Zack smiled. "Of course. I promised, didn't I?"

Aeris smiled and hugged him, then she turned to Sephiroth.

"It was nice to meet you," she said. She knelt down and picked a small amount of white flowers, then straightened and held them out to him. "Here. Take these with you."

Sephiroth took the flowers. "Thank you."

She smiled. "You're welcome. Please come back anytime you want."

As they were walking out, Zack said softly. "Isn't she amazing?"

Sephiroth smiled. "Very."

* * *

_This would've been up yesterday, but the upload was being stupid and wasn't working. Aeris turned out to be a lot easier to write than I thought she was going to be. Review responses up at my LJ._  



	13. Home

**Home**

Sephiroth had never had a home. He had lived in the Shinra building since he could remember, but he couldn't call it home. He didn't have any attachment to it and certainly wouldn't miss it if he left and never came back.

He entered his pass code and the door to his apartment slid open. He left his boots by the door and entered the living room to find Zack sitting on his sofa.

"Hey," Zack greeted him with a smile.

"You've taken to just barging in now, have you?" Sephiroth said.

"'course," Zack said, "Barging in places is one of the things I do best."

Sephiroth shook his head and settled down beside him. "Don't you have something better to do than sit here and wait for me?"

"Nope," Zack replied, "Pestering you is my favorite thing to do."

"Wonderful…" Sephiroth said under his breath.

"You love it and you know it."

"Whatever you say…"

He was not about to admit that he enjoyed Zack's unannounced visits and banter; that would only encourage him.

"You're in a good mood tonight," Zack pointed out.

"I am," Sephiroth said. It was the first time he'd been in a good mood in what seemed like ages. He supposed it was because the screening of the new batch of SOLDIER candidates was finally complete.

Zack smiled. "Good."

Sephiroth leaned back against the couch, allowing a contented sigh to escape his lips. It was nights like these that slowly made him realize that home wasn't simply where you lived; it was where the people that cared about you were.

He looked over at Zack's smiling face and he knew that he was home.

"_Tadaima…_" he whispered.

"_Okaeri,_" Zack replied, with a knowing smile.

* * *

_Translations for the non-Japanese inclined people:  
tadaima - "I'm home"  
okaeri (short for okaerinasai) - "Welcome home/back"__  
_

_Two parts in the same day! This one is really short...Sorry about that. I just realized that I've been neglecting Zack as of late, so there will be one in his POV very soon. Review responses up at...do I really need to keep saying it?_


	14. Harsh Words

**Harsh Words**

Morning had always been Zack's favorite time of day. It was peaceful and quiet and, standing there on the outdoor training grounds, it felt as though he was the only person in the world.

He moved through the drills he had memorized long ago, relishing the feeling of his sword in his hands again. It had been far too long since he had last held it; a month ago, when he had gotten back from Wutai, he'd been unable to wield it, for every time he tried, he would relive what he had done with it.

He finished and stuck his sword into the ground, breathing a little heavier.

"Your form is off."

Zack turned and gave his commanding officer a half-hearted glare. "I know, I know…"

Sephiroth came over and pulled the sword from the ground. He swung it effortlessly and then handed it to Zack.

Zack took it and slid into fighting stance. He watched as Sephiroth moved into his own a few feet away.

He took a deep breath. This was going to be the first time he'd fought anyone and even though it was just sparring, he couldn't keep from being anxious.

Sephiroth was watching him, standing perfectly still. He knew Sephiroth well enough to know that he was measuring him, looking for weaknesses. That didn't ease his mind any, since he probably had weak points all over now.

"Are you prepared?" Sephiroth asked.

Zack nodded and charged him. Before he knew what had happened, he was flat on his back and his sword was lying on the ground a few feet away. Sephiroth had just disarmed him in one pass.

"Pathetic…" he said, between gasps for air.

He tried to sit up, but pain shot through his back. He squeezed his eyes shut and bit his lip to keep from crying out.

_Great…_he thought. Not only had Sephiroth just handed his ass to him, he was injured, too.

Sephiroth appeared in his field of vision. "Are you all right?"

"I…don't think so," Zack said, the pain coming through in his voice.

Sephiroth crouched beside him and closed his eyes. Zack heard the familiar sound of materia charging and a green glow came from Sephiroth's wrist. Sephiroth put a hand on his chest and he felt the comforting warmth of a Cure spell seep into him.

He sighed as the pain dissipated, and Sephiroth withdrew his hand. He got up and brushed himself off.

"I'm glad no one else was here to see that," he said, "I'd never hear the end of it…"

He retrieved his sword and stood at the ready again, but Sephiroth hadn't moved.

"That is enough for now," Sephiroth said, and headed back toward the building.

Zack shouldered his sword and ran a little to catch up with him. "Seph, what-"

"Perhaps you should find another sparring partner," Sephiroth said, interrupting him.

Zack couldn't believe what he was hearing. "Another…what?"

"Someone closer to your own level," Sephiroth continued as if Zack hadn't said anything.

There was a tinge of disappointment in Sephiroth's voice and that was all that was needed to send Zack over the edge he had been teetering on.

"Damn it, Sephiroth!" he yelled, stopping, "I already made a fucking fool of myself! I don't need to be ridiculed too! I know I'm out of shape, and, damn it, I _know_ you're better than me! Quit fucking rubbing it in!"

Sephiroth had his back turned and was silent.

"Now you're not going to say anything? Stroked your ego enough for one day?"

Sephiroth merely walked away.

"Fine! Leave!" Zack yelled after him, "Go find someone else to talk down to! I'm sure that won't be too hard for 'The Great Sephiroth'!"

He stalked over to one of the benches and threw himself down on it, propping his sword up next to him.

"How dare he suggest I get a new partner!" he yelled to no one in particular, "Fucking Sephiroth…Thinks he's better than everyone else. Someone should show him…"

Zack stopped abruptly, realizing what he was saying. What the hell had gotten into him? He knew damn well that Sephiroth didn't think that way.

And when Sephiroth had suggested he find someone closer to his own level, that hadn't been disappointment Zack had heard; it had been guilt… Sephiroth felt guilty for hurting him and he had probably suggested that because he didn't want it to happen again.

"Shit…" Zack muttered.

He almost ran after Sephiroth, but he would have already been in the building and discussing this in front of a bunch of people wouldn't be a good idea. So, he got up and walked slowly back. He would talk to Sephiroth once he got to the office.

Half an hour later, Zack had changed into his uniform and was standing outside the office door, wondering what in the world he was going to say for himself. He sighed and punched in the pass code. The door slid open and he entered.

Sephiroth was seated at his desk, working, and he didn't even look up as Zack entered. He was making it a point to ignore him, it seemed. But Zack had noticed him stiffen slightly.

Zack sat down at his own desk and stared down at it, feeling horrible. The seconds ticked by and the sound of the clock seemed fifty times louder in the overwhelming silence.

Zack took a deep breath and looked up at Sephiroth. "Seph…I'm sorry."

Sephiroth made no move that showed he had heard, but Zack knew he was listening.

"I didn't mean those things," he continued, "I was just…frustrated."

He got up and went over to Sephiroth's desk. "I'm not used to losing that bad, ya know?"

He shook his head. "Now it sounds like I'm making excuses, so I'm going to shut up. But I really am sorry."

Sephiroth looked up at him, a barely schooled expression of hurt on his face. Zack realized, with an odd wrenching feeling, that he had cut Sephiroth far deeper than he thought.

"Tell me why I shouldn't strike you down where you stand," Sephiroth said, and Zack could hear the anger burning just below the surface.

Zack forced a smile onto his face. "'cause ya'd miss me too much," he said, almost succeeding in keeping all the fear from his voice.

Sephiroth looked at him for what seemed like ages, the clock ticking even louder than before. Then, he nodded slowly.

"Watch your tongue from now on, Zack," he said.

"I will," Zack said, "I promise."

* * *

_A super long one this time to make up for the shortness of the last one!_


	15. Rat in a Maze

**Rat in a Maze**

Zack slid his keycard through the door and was rewarded when it opened. Having Level 10 clearance really paid off at times.

He ventured into the lab, glancing around. The note he'd found on his desk said that Sephiroth had gone to the lab and that he'd be back later, but "later" wasn't good enough for Zack. He got an odd feeling every time Sephiroth left to go see Hojo, and he knew from experience that his odd feelings usually meant something was wrong.

He spotted his friend almost immediately. Sephiroth was lying on a metal table a few feet away, unconscious. Zack went over and found that he wasn't just lying to the table; he was strapped to the table. There were hard leather straps secured tightly around his wrists and ankles.

He looked around, warily, but Hojo was nowhere to be seen. He had obviously finished and just left Sephiroth there. He had even left an IV needle in his arm, though it wasn't attached to anything. With a noise of disgust, he pulled it out and threw it onto a nearby table.

He undid the straps and found bruises on the pale skin under them. Sephiroth had obviously fought hard against them.

"What the hell did you do, Hojo?" Zack muttered.

He shook him. "Seph?"

Sephiroth's forehead wrinkled slightly.

"Come on, Seph. Wake up," he urged him gently.

Sephiroth moaned softly.

Zack shook him again, and this time his eyes opened and he sat up very quickly. Obviously too quickly, as his hand went to his head and he started to fall back.

Zack caught him. "Whoa," he said, "Take it easy."

Sephiroth looked at him, a bewildered expression on his face. "Zack...?"

Zack smiled to hide his concern. Sephiroth was clearly disoriented and his concern probably would have just upset him.

Sephiroth pushed him away weakly and sat up much more slowly. He put his head in his hands and groaned.

"What did he do to you?" Zack said, not sure he really wanted to know.

"I...don't remember," Sephiroth said.

"Are you - "

"What are _you_ doing here?" a cold voice demanded from behind him.

He whirled around see Hojo standing near one of the other doors.

"You are not allowed in here," Hojo said, and started toward them.

Zack stood his ground and glared challengingly at him. "Fuck you."

"I was not finished, either," Hojo said, ignoring him.

"Well, you are now," Zack said, in a tone that dared him to say any different.

"Isn't that _cute_?" Hojo said, leering at him. "He doesn't need to be protected by the likes of you."

"Now move," Hojo demanded, "I have work to do."

"No." Sephiroth slid off the table and stood next to Zack. "I am leaving."

Without another word, Sephiroth pushed the sleeve of his uniform down and headed for the door.

"You can't leave," Hojo called after him, "I'm not finished."

"He can do whatever he damn well pleases," Zack said, and followed him out.

Zack followed him silently to the elevator and into it. He watched as Sephiroth pushed 58.

"I don't know why you let him do that to you," Zack said, watching the numbers go down.

The only response he got was a barely audible grunt. He looked over at Sephiroth and noticed that he looked slightly ill.

The elevator stopped and the doors opened. He walked with Sephiroth down the hall to the office, glancing over at him every few seconds with concern.

Sephiroth opened the door to the office and entered, going immediately to his desk and sitting down. Zack followed him and sat down on the edge of his desk, continuing to look at him concernedly.

"I'm fine," Sephiroth said, looking up at him.

"You look like you're gonna pass out any second," Zack said.

"Do your work, Zack," Sephiroth said. He picked up his pen and looked down at the stack of papers on his desk.

"You're just another rat in a maze to him, ya know," Zack said, "He doesn't give a shit about you."

Sephiroth looked back at him. "I know."

"Then why do you keep going there?" Zack said.

"You wouldn't understand."

Zack looked him straight in the eye. "You're afraid of him."

Sephiroth's eyes widened slightly before he looked back down at his desk.

"You're more perceptive than I give you credit for, it seems," he said.

"Seph," Zack said, laying a hand on his arm, "Don't go there anymore."

"I cannot just stop," Sephiroth said, and Zack was surprised that he didn't move away from his touch.

"Well, why the hell not?" Zack said.

Sephiroth looked back at him. "He'll - "

"There's nothing he can do to you," Zack said, "Shinra'll do almost anything to keep you around."

"But - "

Zack squeezed his arm. "If you could've seen yourself when I got there, you wouldn't be arguing with me. He strapped you down! It left bruises on your arms, I saw them…"

Sephiroth frowned and pulled up his sleeve. He stared down at the line of deep purple that crossed it, as if he hadn't noticed it before.

"Damn him..." Sephiroth muttered.

"Seph, _please_..."

Sephiroth pushed his sleeve back down. "Never again," he said, "This ends today."

Zack almost breathed a sigh of relief. He had been prepared to stop Sephiroth from going there again any way he could, but it looked like he wouldn't have to. Sephiroth had finally come to his senses, just like Zack knew he would.

* * *

_I learned, writing the last of this part, that's it's very hard to write a scene when part of that Lunch Lady song by Adam Sandler is stuck in my head, courtesy of the friend whose apartment I'm currently at. Now I can't excape the image of Zack dancing on his desk singing "Shloppy joe...schlop-schloppy joe..."..._  



	16. Niichan

**Nii-chan**

Sephiroth walked slowly into the run down church. What Aeris had said to him the last time he'd been there had been bothering him for days; every time he looked at the flowers in the vase on his desk, he thought about it. Eventually he'd decided that he just couldn't stand it anymore.

He glanced around as he walked down the aisle, but there was no sign of the auburn-haired girl. Feeling disappointed, he sat down on the front pew nearest the flowerbed. He figured that even though the girl wasn't there, the church was a nice place to relax for awhile. It was peaceful and quiet there.

He breathed in deeply and leaned back, closing his eyes.

"I knew you'd be back."

Sephiroth turned to see Aeris standing in the doorway of the church, a metal rod in one hand and an empty basket in the other. She smiled and came over to him.

"Who are those people you spoke of the last time I was here?" he asked.

She sat down beside him, setting the rod and basket down on the floor. "Doctor Gast and Ifalna," she said, as if it were the simplest thing in the world, "My parents."

"But Gast is dead," Sephiroth said. How in the world could she have spoken to someone who was dead?

"I know," Aeris said, "My mother is too."

"But Zack said - "

"He was talking about my adopted mother," Aeris said.

Sephiroth looked her in the eye. "How is it that you are able to speak to the dead?"

Aeris didn't give any sign that his gaze, the very same one that made even war hardened soldiers sweat, affected her at all.

"I hear everyone that's returned to the Planet," she said, "I always have."

'Returned to the Planet'…He had heard only one other person use that phrase and that had been Ifalna. She'd talked to him often in the lab when he was young; it had made his weekly treatments much more tolerable.

"It's alright if you don't believe me," Aeris said, looking disappointed, "People usually don't."

Sephiroth turned away from her gaze and looked at the flowers. "I believe you."

He could see Aeris' smile out of the corner of his eye and he didn't know why, but it made him happier. He supposed she was just that sort of person, like Zack. Only she was much less annoying.

"Doctor Gast wanted me to tell you something," Aeris said, "He said he loves you like you're his own son, he's proud of who you've become, and he's sorry. He didn't say what for, though."

Sephiroth smiled a little. He'd liked Gast; the Doctor was always so nice to him. He'd probably even stopped Hojo from doing worse things to him, though he hadn't realized that until years after Gast died and the "treatments" had gotten more painful. So, it was nice to hear those things from him.

"You really do have a nice smile," Aeris said, "You should smile more and not look so sad."

Sephiroth looked at her. "I'm not sad."

She looked him in the eye again and it was almost as though she were looking straight into him. "Yes you are," she said, "You're sad because you're lonely."

She covered his gloved hand with her much smaller one. "You're not alone. Zack really cares for you, so do Mother and Doctor Gast." She squeezed his hand. "And so do I."

He stared at her. How could she care for him when she barely knew him?

She giggled. "Don't look so surprised, _nii-chan_."

That only made him more surprised. "_Nii-chan_?"

She nodded. "My father said you're like his son, so you're _nii-chan_ from now on."

There was obviously no sense in arguing with her, so he supposed he was stuck being _"nii-chan"_ forever. He could just imagine how hard Zack would laugh when he found out, as he inevitably would, and just how long he would tease him about it.

_Well,_ he told himself, _At least she's not going to start calling me Sephy._

_

* * *

_

_Translation for the Japanese impaired:  
nii-chan - older brother (affectionate) _

_Aeris is so cute, isn't she? Since this is a Sephiroth only ficlet, a Zack one is next...and it may or may not include Cloud._


	17. Idol

**Idol**

Sephiroth looked at the menu in his hands with disgust. "Remind me again why I let you bring me here…"

"'cause I owe you for being an ass the other day," Zack said.

"So you brought me _here_?" Sephiroth set the menu down and looked across the table at his friend.

"Hey!" Zack said, looking offended, "The food here is awesome."

"Maybe so," Sephiroth said, "But this is Wall Market…"

"So?"

"Do you know what sort of place this is?" Sephiroth said, his disgust coming through in his voice.

"What? You scared?" Zack said, grinning.

Sephiroth glared at him. "You know what I mean."

"I should take you over to the Honeybee sometime," Zack said, still grinning, "I bet you'd enjoy it."

"I thought you said you brought me here to make up for being a jerk, not to continue being one," Sephiroth said. Just thinking of that place made him ill.

The waitress approached them before Zack could say anything.

"What'll it be?" she said, seeming intimidated.

"I'm gonna have the beef stew with a side of rice and a beer," Zack said.

She wrote it down and then looked over at Sephiroth. "And for the General?"

"I'll have the salad," Sephiroth said.

She wrote that down.

"Salad, Seph?" Zack said, "Come on!"

He turned to the waitress. "Just bring him the same thing I'm having."

The waitress glanced between him and Zack for a moment, before nodding and heading toward the counter.

"Why did you do that?" Sephiroth said.

"'cause I didn't bring you all the way here so you could get a _salad_," Zack said, "God, Seph, a salad is barely even food."

Sephiroth just sighed. There was no sense in arguing about it. He supposed he would just have to eat what he was brought.

He glanced around, noticing how the other patrons quickly averted their gazes and how they talked in low, excited sounding voices.

"Must they stare at me?" Sephiroth said in a low voice, so only Zack could hear.

"You're more than a little bit of a celebrity down here," Zack said, "Hell, you're a celebrity _everywhere_."

"Because the papers made it seem that I was the sole cause of our victory in the war..." Sephiroth said, "I may have defeated Godo, but it was not I who won the war."

"But it's a more glamorous story," Zack said, "'The Great Sephiroth' defeating hordes of Wutai warriors single-handed."

"Pure nonsense..." Sephiroth said. That made him sicker than thinking about what kind of place the Honeybee Inn was.

"You were popular before that, though," Zack said, "Ever since it came out that you made First Class at 15. You're the reason so many boys join Shinra, me included."

Sephiroth snorted. "Petty idol worship, that's all it is. It's pathetic for someone to base their life upon the accomplishments of someone else."

Zack was silent. Sephiroth realized, with a tinge of guilt, that he'd struck a nerve in his friend.

After a few moments of tense silence, Zack spoke. "It's true..." he said, "I think that's why it bothered me. I always thought that my reasons for joining were good ones, but they weren't. They were stupid...I was stupid."

Sephiroth looked at him, deciding to put into words exactly what he was thinking. "If only Shinra had more soldiers like you..."

Zack looked surprised by his praise, but then his expression turned into a genuine smile for a moment, before changing to the joking smile that Zack used so often.

"But if there was more of me, then you'd _never_ get any peace and quiet," he said.

Sephiroth merely smiled. If there were more people like Zack around, he didn't think he would mind.

* * *

_I know I promised a Zack only part, but this one had been sitting around on my hard drive for a couple days and I just had to finish it. The next part is about half done, though, so it won't be long._  



	18. Bad Dreams

**Bad Dreams**

Zack stood there staring at the metal door. 32-15: Strife, read the plate on it. Why had he come here in the middle of the night? It was just a stupid nightmare. He should've been used to them now, since they'd been a regular occurrence in the month since the war.

But this one had been different. He'd dreamed that Cloud was killed, brutally, right in front of him. He'd awoken with tears running down his face and his tired mind refused to let him sleep again until he made sure that his friend was alright. So, here he stood outside Cloud's room at nearly 2 am, feeling like a complete idiot.

He knocked on the door, his heart beating quickly, and almost sighed in relief when he heard sounds from inside and the door opened revealing a disheveled, barely awake, and very confused looking Cloud.

"...Zack?" Cloud said, "W-what are you doing here...?"

_Shit..._Zack thought. He hadn't thought about how he was going to explain why he was there.

He sighed, figuring it'd be best to just tell the truth, no matter how stupid it was. "I had a dream that you got killed and I had to make sure you were okay."

Cloud just stood there, not saying anything.

"I know it's stupid," Zack said, "Sorry I woke you up."

"I wasn't asleep," Cloud said, clearly lying in an attempt to make Zack feel better about it. "Do you...wanna come in?"

"Sure," Zack said, deciding to play along with Cloud's lie.

Cloud moved out of the doorway and Zack entered the small room. The only things it contained were a dresser, a desk and chair, and a bed, which looked like it hadn't been slept in. The lamp on the desk was on, and papers were spread out on it.

"Did you fall asleep studying again?" Zack asked him. Cloud seemed to do that often.

Cloud nodded, looking embarrassed.

Zack sat down on the bed. "It's 'cause they're pushing you too hard in drills, isn't it?"

"Yeah..." Cloud said, "I think they hate me..."

Zack patted a spot next to him on the bed. Cloud came over and sat down, and Zack threw an arm around his shoulders.

"Those drill instructors are bastards," he said, "Don't let 'em get to you."

Cloud smiled a little and looked down and the bed.

Zack fell backwards onto the bed and put his arms behind his head, yawning widely.

"Zack...?"

"Yeah?" Zack said to Cloud's back.

"That dream...Was it bad?"

"Yeah," Zack said, looking up at the tiled ceiling.

"I have bad dreams sometimes, too," Cloud said.

Zack smiled. Cloud was trying in his own strange way to make him feel better.

He reached up and ruffled Cloud's hair.

"H-hey!" Cloud said, and quickly ducked away from his hand.

Cloud turned and frowned at him and Zack laughed. Cloud was so funny when he was annoyed.

Cloud's frown quickly turned into a smile and he flopped down beside Zack.

They laid there in silence for awhile, Zack content to just enjoy his friend's company. It had been awhile since he'd been able to visit Cloud like this; they'd both been so busy lately, Cloud with preparing for the examinations coming up soon, and him with the increased amount of paperwork the upcoming examinations caused. He hadn't realized just how much he missed this.

"Hey, Spike..." he said.

When he received no response he looked over at Cloud. He was fast asleep.

Zack chuckled softly. "'Night, kiddo," he whispered and headed back to his apartment for some much-needed rest.

* * *

_Part 20! Hooray! I don't know why, but Zack/Cloud interaction is really hard for me to write. So, I hope this is okay._


	19. Concern

**Concern**

Sephiroth sighed. His second-in-command never ceased to amaze him. Somehow, though they were crammed in the back of the smallest transport truck that he had ever seen and were traveling on a bumpy road, Zack had managed to fall asleep and _on him_ nonetheless.

Cursing whoever had decided it was acceptable for them to ride in a 6 by 6 foot area between boxes of cargo, he made another attempt to push Zack away.

Zack didn't even stir. Sephiroth glared at him and flexed his hand, trying to get some feeling back in the arm that the unconscious man had been leaning heavily against for the past half hour, according to the watch Zack was wearing.

It wasn't just that he was uncomfortable, he was also bored...Incredibly bored. He hadn't brought anything to keep him occupied, because he figured Zack would talk his ear off about everything and nothing, as he usually did when they traveled anywhere for missions. But instead, Zack had decided he would make a good pillow.

Of course, Zack hadn't intended to fall asleep, the rational part of his brain was thinking. He'd been sleeping poorly as of late, after all. The other part was sure that Zack was doing this just to irritate him, because he thought it was funny. He might even have thought that Zack was faking it, if it weren't for the fact that he was almost dead weight and he was snoring very convincingly.

Sephiroth leaned his head back against the stack of boxes behind him, figuring that if Zack had no intention of moving, he might as well relax. He closed his eyes and let his mind wander.

When he next opened them, he found that his neck was sore and he could no longer feel Zack's weight against him.

"Hey, you're awake."

Sephiroth looked at Zack, who was smiling at him. "Pardon?"

"Awake," Zack said, "You know, the opposite of being asleep, like you were a minute ago."

He wasn't aware of falling asleep, but he supposed he'd have to take Zack's word for it.

"At least _I_ wasn't sleeping on you," he said.

Zack looked sheepish. "Sorry 'bout that. I've just been so damn tired lately..."

"Still having nightmares?" Sephiroth said.

Sephiroth knew that Zack had been trying to hide that fact from him for some reason, even though he'd had one every time he'd slept on Sephiroth's couch in the past month. The way he'd cried out had even woken Sephiroth the few times he'd actually been asleep.

"How do you know about that?" Zack asked, brow furrowed slightly.

"You've slept on my couch a dozen times in the past month," Sephiroth said, hoping Zack would catch his drift.

Zack sighed. "Guess the secret's out then..."

"Why haven't you spoken to anyone about it?" Sephiroth asked, "That's why there are counselors working for Shinra now."

"Yeah, right," Zack said, frowning, "I can see the headlines now...'Great Sephiroth Hires Nut Job To Be Second-In-Command'."

"If you are a 'nut job', then I'm completely psychotic," Sephiroth said. It felt odd having to reassure Zack and not the other way around as it usually was. He chocked it up to the fact that Zack was sleep-deprived and obviously not thinking rationally.

"You mean you're not?" Zack said, "Where've I been?"

Leave it to Zack to still joke around, despite obviously being in a bad mood.

Sephiroth pretended he didn't hear the comment and instead fixed Zack with a cool stare. "Do not force me to issue an order for you to go."

"Seph..." Zack protested, looking at him like a child who had just been informed that they were going to the doctor.

"I am concerned, as your General, about your performance," Sephiroth said. He paused and cleared his throat before continuing, speaking much softer, "but I'm also concerned about your well-being...as your friend."

Zack looked at him for a moment in silence, his lips curving into a small smile. Then he nodded. "I'll go as soon as we get back."

"I will keep you to that," Sephiroth said, and he meant it. He was tired of seeing Zack this way; he missed the Zack who would sit on his desk on top of his important papers and crack terrible jokes, the one who would give his all when they would spar, even though he knew he would lose, and most of all he missed the Zack who seemed to radiate cheerfulness.

He would have his best friend back, no matter what he had to do to make it happen.

* * *

_Another one in Seph's POV. It seems Seph-muse has locked Zack-muse away somewhere. I'm guessing Zack-muse annoyed him too much._


	20. Ribbon

**Ribbon**

"I'm not wearing that!"

Zack looked at the item in his commanding officer's hand with great loathing. He couldn't wear something like that. There was no way.

"It will be extremely beneficial in the mission," Sephiroth said.

"I don't care how 'beneficial' it is," Zack said, "There's no way I'm wearing it."

It was taunting him, sitting there looking so purple, shiny, and very feminine.

"I might as well put on a goddamn dress and prance around singing 'I Feel Pretty'!"

Sephiroth gave him a cool stare. "You're overreacting."

Zack flopped back into the chair he'd been sitting in before Sephiroth had presented him with the offending item. "If it's not a big deal, then _you_ wear it."

"I am," Sephiroth said. He pushed up his sleeve, and sure enough, tied around his arm above his Dragon Armlet was a ribbon identical to the one he held.

Zack gaped at it. Never in a million years would he have thought that _Sephiroth_ would be wearing such a girly thing.

He smiled wryly. "You should wear it in your hair. It'd look nice."

Sephiroth shot him a glare and he burst out laughing.

"You could get some nice earrings to go with it," Zack continued, between laughter, "and maybe a tiara. You'd be the prettiest Shinra employee. Even that hot chick over in the clinic would have nothin' on you."

The look on Sephiroth's face spelled his untimely demise, but he wasn't scared in the least. He just continued to laugh.

"You had better watch yourself or I may order you to wear yours in that manner," Sephiroth said.

Zack stood up. "You can't make me wear it if you can't catch me!"

He took off at full speed out the door, still laughing.

That afternoon when they arrived in Mideel to exterminate the monsters, there was a certain purple, shiny, and very feminine item tied securely around his wrist.

* * *

_For theme #26: Item over at 30 fantasies on LJ._  



	21. Absence

**Absence**

Sephiroth stared at the mobile phone on the shabby metal desk, willing it to ring. He had received word that the battalion he'd sent out had encountered a larger number of monsters than expected. Zack, who was in charge of it, had reported that they were going to hold their ground and attempt to complete the mission.

That had been two hours ago, and Sephiroth was worried. He tried once more to take his mind off it by focusing on the paperwork he was supposed to be doing, but he just ended up more anxious.

There was absolutely no way that Zack could have been killed, he told himself. He was far too skilled to be taken down by a few monsters. But still, the morbid thoughts wouldn't go away.

"Damn it..." he swore quietly, clenching his fist on the desk.

He looked across the tent at the other empty desk. He couldn't imagine Zack never sitting there again. He'd grown so accustomed to looking up from his work and seeing him there working with a slight frown, or leaned back in his chair with his feet up on the desk.

He couldn't imagine coming home after a long day of work and not finding Zack there waiting for him. He couldn't imagine a day without Zack's stupid jokes and bright smile. He, who had always prided himself on being independent, had come to rely so much on his only friend, that even the thought of life without him was unbearable.

He gave up on his work, and went over and sat down on his cot. He put his head in his hands and breathed deeply, willing the burning in his eyes and tightness in his chest to go away. It wouldn't do to lose himself now, not when he was on duty and in charge of operations, no less.

He sighed. Not a second later, he heard the sound of the flap that served as the door being pushed aside.

He looked up and saw Zack standing there, bruised, battered, and dirty, but very much alive. Relief washed over him and he got up and went over to Zack as he sank down in his chair, breathing heavily.

Zack frowned. "Well...that sucked..."

Sephiroth only stood there, looking at the man he'd feared he'd never see again.

Zack's frown was replaced by a look of concern. "...Seph? You're crying..."

Confused, Sephiroth brought his hand to his cheek. Sure enough, a single tear had escaped from his eye. He wiped it away, cursing himself for showing such weakness, even though Zack was the only one to see it.

"What's wrong?" Zack said.

Sephiroth shook his head. "It's unimportant."

Zack looked at him for a long moment and then smiled a little. "You were worried I wasn't gonna come back."

Sephiroth nodded, figuring there was no point in lying.

Zack's smile widened. "It'll take more than a few stupid monsters to do me in," he said, "Besides, I can't die; I'm not done annoying you yet."

Sephiroth smiled. He sincerely hoped that Zack would not be done "annoying him" for many years.

Zack stood up. "I need a shower. I smell like Hojo on the day before his yearly bath."

Sephiroth chuckled silently. "Go ahead."

Zack smiled at him again, before heading out of the tent.

Sephiroth stared at the tent flap for awhile, with a smile, before sitting down at his desk. He started in on the paperwork again and knew that when he next looked up, Zack would be there, just as he always was.

That was enough to keep him smiling for the rest of the day.

* * *

_I sat here for literally 15 minutes debating whether to include that tear. _ _Hope it wasn't too out of character..._  



	22. Therapy

**Therapy**

Zack leaned forward against Sephiroth's closed door, breathing heavily, his heart pounding. It had been a huge mistake to go into the clinic for therapy. The questions he'd been asked had only served to bring back the memories with a vengeance, and now he could hardly breathe, he was shaking, and he felt sick.

He knocked on the door again, hoping desperately that Sephiroth was there and that he was just asleep or something. He didn't think he could make it back to his own apartment and he didn't much want to sit out in the hallway in the condition he was in.

The door opened several seconds later. Zack looked at the floor, slightly ashamed of being seen like he was.

"You have my key code, do you not?" Sephiroth sounded annoyed.

"I...I can't remember it," Zack said.

There was a slight pause and Zack could feel Sephiroth's eyes on him as he fought to keep from shaking so violently.

"Inside," Sephiroth said.

Zack stepped over the threshold and the door slid shut behind him. He leaned back heavily against it.

"Guess I really am a nut job..." he said.

"Nonsense," Sephiroth said, "Go sit down."

Zack walked over and sank gratefully onto the couch, closing his eyes.

He felt Sephiroth sit down. "Now, breathe deeply and relax."

Zack did as he was told. In minutes, the panicky feeling was gone, though he was left feeling vaguely ill.

He opened his eyes and looked at Sephiroth, noticing for the first time that his friend was shirtless and the couch was warm. He was confused for a moment, before realization hit him.

"Shit..." he said, "You had a mako treatment today."

Sephiroth never felt well after he went in for treatments, though it was better now that he was only getting those required of all SOLDIER members and not the extra ones given by Hojo. He usually spent the remainder of those days resting...and Zack had just disturbed him.

"Forget it," Sephiroth said, "Just tell me what happened."

"The counselor asked me some stuff, and...I dunno, I just kinda freaked out," Zack said, "I ran out and came here."

"Ah," Sephiroth said, "That does not mean you're crazy, merely overly stressed."

"What, you a doctor now?" Zack said, though he knew Sephiroth was right.

"I am more qualified than some I'm acquainted with," Sephiroth said, "But that is beside the point. When I say stress is the cause, I am speaking from personal experience."

"You mean that's happened to you?" Zack said. He rubbed his arms. "Damn, it's cold in here."

Sephiroth stood and went over to the sliding glass door that led onto the balcony. "It has." He pushed the door closed and returned to the couch.

"When I was younger; around your age, actually," Sephiroth said.

"That was a really long time ago..." Zack said, smirking, "And, let me guess, you used to have to walk uphill both ways, with no shoes on, in the snow to get to the training grounds, right?"

Sephiroth glared at him. "I will never understand how it's possible for you to make jokes no matter what the situation."

Zack grinned. "It's a gift."

"I'm sure..." Sephiroth said, "Anyhow, as I was saying, it has happened to me. It is only a matter of time before mental torment manifests itself physically."

"Since you're the expert, what should I do?"

"Find a way to rid yourself of it," Sephiroth said.

That sounded easier said than done. He'd been trying for a month to rid himself of the memories and the nightmares, but nothing had worked.

"How the hell am I supposed to do that?" he said, sounding just as frustrated as he felt.

"Locate the source and do away with it," Sephiroth said, "For instance, I was forced into a position in the military that I was not prepared for. I was promoted out of pure necessity, because someone was needed to coordinate the war effort.

"Are you familiar with the saying 'keep your friends close and your enemies closer'?"

Zack nodded, wondering where this was going.

"That's what Shinra was doing," Sephiroth said, "I was both their greatest ally and their worst enemy. Such is my skill in battle, that they would have been utterly helpless if I joined the opposition. So, they thought that a higher rank and salary would be incentive for me to remain."

"In any case," he continued, "I knew almost nothing of battle strategy, SOLDIER was very lax in their teaching back then. So, when I was informed that I would be sent to Wutai within a week, I had no idea what I was going to do. The breakdown that happened then was far worse than what happened to you. It delayed my departure for two weeks, so they could ensure I was mentally capable.

"During that time, I located several books on war and read them. I rid myself of the problem by learning that which I didn't know."

"That's great and all, but I don't know what the problem with me is," Zack said.

Sephiroth looked at him. "Have you thought about it?"

"Well, no..." Zack said, "I've been trying not to think about it."

"Not thinking about things does not make them go away," Sephiroth said.

"I was kinda hoping it would..." That sounded stupid, even to him.

"This should not have been allowed to continue this long," Sephiroth said, "Why did you not inform me?"

Sephiroth looked angry, and Zack's reasoning behind not telling him was starting to seem more and more ridiculous.

"You were busy with other stuff..." he said, feeling like an idiot.

"That is not like you," Sephiroth said, "Did you not say that I could speak to you about anything at anytime? What makes you think that you do not have the same right?"

Zack looked down at his lap, ashamed. He'd been such a moron, letting himself think that he could deal with his problems on his own. He'd always told his friends that they could rely on him and yet he never let himself rely on them. He gave all of himself to those he cared about and never asked for anything in return, even when he needed it, and that had led to this.

He leaned back and sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Fuck..." He looked at Sephiroth. "I'm sorry, Seph."

Sephiroth nodded once, slowly, then said. "I believe I know what your problem is. You are feeling guilt over your actions."

Zack nodded in response.

"That's not uncommon," Sephiroth said, "I will tell you the same thing a very wise man once told me; you must learn to put the past behind you. You cannot change what's been done and dwelling on it will only make it seem worse. And often, that which you view as your greatest mistake will lead to your greatest triumph."

Zack couldn't remember ever receiving a better piece of advice, and he was sure if he followed it, the dark cloud that had been hanging over him since his return would finally go away.

He smiled. "You should become a shrink."

Sephiroth smiled slightly. "I believe I'll follow the advice of another wise man, who once said, 'Don't quit your day job'."

* * *

_Man, this one took forever...Zack's gonna be free of all the crap, finally. Hooray!_  



	23. Cleaning

**Cleaning**

"What in the world are you doing?"

Sephiroth ducked as a sock whizzed past his ear and landed in the basket behind him.

"Cleaning," Zack said, looking up at him with a grin.

Sephiroth looked around at the piles of clothes that had missed the basket and the various other items that were scattered about.

"It looks like you're making a larger mess to me," he said.

"Nah," Zack said, "I've got a system worked out."

He sincerely doubted there was any sort of "system" at work, as the condition of Zack's apartment reminded him very much of a war zone, complete with flying projectiles.

He snatched one such projectile out of the air before it could land on his head and looked at it. "Why do you have underwear with small cartoon chocobos on it?"

"The ladies love 'em," Zack said.

A gigantic wad of royal blue uniforms flew at him. He decided then that it'd be a good idea to step away from the laundry basket, dropped the underwear in it and went over to sit in the small space on the couch that wasn't currently covered.

"I am reminded of why I hardly ever come here," he said, looking disgustedly at the pile of old take-out containers on the coffee table.

Zack stopped sifting through things and looked over at him, indignation on his face. "Hey, it's not _that_ bad."

"I beg to differ."

Zack huffed and returned his attention to "cleaning". Sephiroth watched him absently, his mind wandering to other things, like how comfortable Zack's couch was on his aching shoulders. The SOLDIER training he'd been doing all week was a welcome change from paperwork, but after a few days straight, he'd begun to ache. All the deskwork was making him out of shape.

"Seph?"

Zack had stopped again and was looking at him with slight concern.

"Hmm?" he said.

"You alright?" Zack said.

"Yes," Sephiroth said, "I'm just tired."

Zack got up, pushed some things off the couch and sat down. "You shouldn't have sent me home early."

"You were injured," Sephiroth said, looking pointedly at the bloodied bandage wound around Zack's lower arm.

"Ah, it was just a scratch," he said, "It took them 5 minutes to take care of it in the clinic."

"It was a training mission. You know the procedure."

"Yeah, yeah..." Zack said, rolling his eyes, "How'd the rest of it go?"

"Quite well, actually," Sephiroth said, "One of them, Anderson I believe it was, is especially skilled."

"Yeah, I was with him in basic," Zack said, "He's a good man. Hand me that trash bag, will ya?"

Sephiroth handed him the large black bag that was sitting by the left side of the table and Zack began to sort out the things that were covering it.

"You should clean more often," Sephiroth said, noting the paper plates with food cemented to them that were being thrown into the bag.

"What's the point?" Zack said, "I'm hardly ever here."

Sephiroth had to admit that that was true. When not in the office, the both of them were usually at his apartment and Zack only went home to sleep, sometimes not even that.

"Lately I've been coming home, eating something, and then passing out on the couch 'cause I'm too tired to get up and go to bed," Zack said, "This training is hard, especially when I'm fucking tired as it is."

Now that he thought about it, Zack really did look tired. He was in a good mood and feeling generous, so he decided he'd do something nice.

"Take a nap," he said, "I'll finish cleaning for you."

Zack looked surprised. "Seriously?"

"Yes, seriously."

"Shit, Seph. When did you become so...nice?"

"I am kind to those whom I believe deserve it," Sephrioth said. He didn't say that Zack deserved it the most of anyone he knew, though it was the truth.

Zack smiled and set the garbage bag down, then stood. "Wake me up when you're done, 'kay?"

"Very well," Sephiroth said.

Zack headed for the bedroom and Sephiroth began cleaning.

It took him about an hour in a half to turn Zack's apartment into what he considered habitable, and by the time he finished, he was glad he had been wearing gloves, because there had been some things that he would not have wanted to touch with bare hands.

He removed his dirty gloves and set them on the coffee table, making a mental note to use some leather cleaner on them when he returned to his apartment, and went to wake Zack.

He stood in the doorway for a moment, amused by the way Zack was sprawled on the bed, before going over to him and shaking him by the shoulder.

Zack's eyes opened slowly. "...mmm...your hands are cold..."

Zack pushed himself up on his elbows and blinked sleepily at him. "You done...?"

"Yes," Sephiroth said, "Your apartment is now habitable."

"...was fine before..." Zack muttered.

Zack blinked a couple times more and then proceeded to stare at nothing, a glazed look in his eyes.

"Zack," he said, to get his attention.

Zack snapped out of his daze and looked at him. "Huh...?"

Then he seemed to realize what he'd just been doing. "...sorry...'m not awake yet..."

"I noticed," Sephiroth said, "Go back to sleep. We have much more work to do tomorrow."

"...but weren't we supposed to..."

"Don't worry about it," Sephiroth said, "I think I can manage to find something to eat on my own."

"...'kay," Zack said, lying back down. "Thanks..."

Sephiroth figured he must have really been tired to have given in so easily, so he was glad he decided to cancel their plans. A night to himself wouldn't be so bad; he could finally take the nice, long bath that his tight, aching muscles had been needing.

"'Night, Seph..." Zack said, giving him a sleepy smile.

Sephiroth gave him one in return. "Goodnight."

* * *

_This one was really random...Zack's apartment reminds me of my former college roommate's room. It was just about that bad..._

_Zack-muse is very happy right now, because I just got accepted to play Zack in an RPG, so that's why there were two updates today (technically).  
_


	24. Simple Things

**Simple Things**

"Get on," Zack said, patting the space behind him on the pure black motorcycle.

Sephiroth looked down at the space, then back up at Zack.

"It's completely safe, I swear," Zack said.

"It's not the motorcycle I am worried about," Sephiroth said, "It's your driving."

Zack pretended to be offended. "Hey now, I drive just fine."

"Not that I have seen," Sephiroth countered.

Zack pulled down his sunglasses and looked at Sephiroth over the top. "Get on or I'm gonna leave you here."

"Fine," Sephiroth said. He gathered up his hair and tucked it down the back of his jacket, then got on the back of the motorcycle.

Zack pushed his sunglasses back up. "You ever been on one a these?"

"No," Sephiroth said.

"Woo boy, are you in for a treat!" Zack said, grinning.

"I'm sure..." Sephiroth said.

Zack turned around and grabbed the handlebars. "Hang on to me or you'll fly off the back."

Sephiroth's arms slid around his waist and Zack turned the key. The engine roared to life and he revved it a couple times.

"Here we go!" he said.

Sephiroth muttered something under his breath, that Zack couldn't really understand, but it sounded an awful lot like "I'm going to die".

He rolled his eyes and hit the gas, and they were off.

They were buzzing down the dirt road that led away from Midgar, much slower than Zack usually would've driven, before Sephiroth said anything.

"Where are we going?" Sephiroth said, speaking louder to be heard over the engine.

"Someplace I found awhile back," Zack said, "It's real nice."

A little while later, they arrived on a grassy knoll that overlooked an expanse of flat plains. Up there, where there was no one around for miles and no sign of civilization, it felt like you were the only one in the world.

They got off and Zack kicked the stand down. He settled himself in the grass a few feet away, while Sephiroth walked around and looked out over the empty landscape.

After he's looked around, Sephiroth came up beside him and stood, his head tilted toward the sky, and his eyes closed, the breeze blowing gently through his hair.

"Nice place, isn't it?" Zack said.

"Indeed," Sephiroth said, a small smile forming on his face.

Zack leaned back, propping himself up with his arms and breathed in deeply. The clean, crisp air filled his lungs in a way the filthy Midgar air never could. It felt like he was breathing for the very first time and he felt more alive than he had in a long time.

He looked over at Sephiroth's calm profile and wondered how long it had been since he'd been out of and away from Midgar's taint. Probably not since they'd returned from Wutai, which was part of the reason he'd brought him out here. It was never good to stay in Midgar too long.

He was glad he could convince Sephiroth to come with him, even though there was work to be done. It was the weekend, but that never stopped his General from working his ass off. Zack, however, made it his job to do just that.

Zack laid back in the soft grass and looked up at the clouds. It'd been a long time since he'd seen any that weren't gray and hazy. These were white and fluffy just like the ones he used to look up at when he was little.

"It is...beautiful..." Sephiroth said softly.

Zack smiled. It was things like this, fresh air, sunshine, his best friend's voice – the simple things – that made life worth living.

* * *

_I was in the mood for something short and sweet. Hope you liked it:)._  



	25. Downfall

**Downfall**

Sephiroth was looking out the window of the tiny inn, up toward those mountains. Zack could see the faint crease between his eyebrows from where he stood at the top of the stairs.

Sephiroth had been on edge since they'd left Midgar and there was something about the way the air felt that put Zack on edge too.

"What're you looking at?" Zack asked, going over to him.

"This scenery..." Sephiroth said, distractedly, "I feel like I know this place..."

He paused, then shook his head as if trying to rid himself of a bad dream and looked at Zack.

"We have an early start tomorrow," he said, "You should get some sleep soon."

"It's still early," Zack said. There was no way he could sleep with Sephiroth in this state.

Sephiroth looked back out the window. "...I'm not going to wake you up tomorrow."

"Yeah, yeah..." Zack said.

"I've hired a guide to the reactor," Sephiroth said, "I've heard she's young. I hope we can rely on her..."

"She can't be much younger than me and you think I'm reliable," Zack said, "so don't worry."

Sephiroth was silent, staring out the window again. There was a vacant look to his eyes that Zack didn't like one bit.

"Seph," Zack said.

Sephiroth looked at him, still looking distracted.

"Are you alright?" Zack said, looking at him concernedly.

"I'm fine," Sephiroth said, but it didn't lessen Zack's apprehension any.

"Let's just go get some sleep," Zack said.

"Mmm," Sephiroth agreed, "I'll be in soon."

"You better," Zack said and went into the bedroom.

Cloud was leaning against the wall just inside the door.

Zack smiled at him. "You get some sleep, too."

"...but I'm too nervous," Cloud said, looking down at the floor.

"I was too on my first mission," Zack said, "You'll be fine."

Zack clapped him on the shoulder. "'Night, Spike."

-----

It was cold that morning on Mt. Nibel as Zack followed Sephiroth into the reactor, and the air was strangely heavy. It made the hairs on the back of Zack's neck stand up.

He shivered. "Creepy..." he muttered under his breath.

When he entered the reactor Sephiroth was standing looking up at the sign above a door in the back, shaking his head, the same faraway look in his eyes. Zack ascended the stairs until he stood behind him and looked up too.

"Jenova..." he read. There was a very complex looking lock on the door.

"That lock won't open," he said.

Sephiroth seemed to snap out of the daze he was in and went back down the stairs and over to one of the pods on the right.

"This is the reason for the malfunction," Sephiroth said, pointing at a tube near the bottom, just above a valve. "Zack, close the valve."

Zack nodded and knelt down. He turned the knob and the valve closed. Then he joined over on the other side.

Sephiroth was staring at the pod in front of him. Zack was starting to get very worried about him. Sure, Sephiroth spaced out sometimes when he was thinking about something or he was tired, but never as often as he had been since yesterday. Everything within Zack was telling him that something was wrong.

"Seph?" he said.

"Why did it break...?" Sephiroth muttered. He grabbed into the pod and pulled himself up to look into the window.

A moment later, he eased himself back to the ground and bowed his head, his eyes closed. "Now I see, Hojo..." he said, his hands clenching into fists, "But, even doing this will never put you on the same level as Professor Gast."

He looked over at Zack. "This is a system that condenses and freezes mako energy...That is, when it's working correctly."

"You mean it's not?"

Sephiroth shook his head. "Hojo put something else in there..." He backed away from the pod. "Take a look."

Zack pulled himself up and looked through the window...and came face to face with a hideous monster. Shocked, he let go of the pod and fell.

"Wh-what is that?" he said, staring up at the pod from where he sat on the floor.

"Normal members of SOLDIER are humans that have been showered with mako," Sephiroth said, "You're different from the others, but still human."

Sephiroth gestured to the pods. "But what are they? They've been exposed to a high degree of mako; far more than you."

Zack was still staring at the pod in shock. "Is this some kind of monster...?"

"Exactly," Sephiroth said, "and it's Hojo that produced them. Mutated living organisms produced by mako, that's what these monsters really are..."

Sephiroth squeezed his eyes shut and clutched his head, trembling.

Zack's heart jumped in fear. "H-hey, Seph..."

"N-no..." Sephiroth said, as if he hadn't even heard him.

The trembling stopped abruptly and Sephiroth brought his hands down and looked at them. "Was I...?"

He drew his sword and started slashing the pods, a look of disbelief and anger on his face. Zack jumped down to avoid being slashed by the huge blade.

"Was I created this way too...?" He ran over and slashed the pod that had the broken tube. "Am I the same as all these monsters...?"

Zack wanted to run to him and grab his arms and yell that of course he wasn't created that way, that he was no monster, but he couldn't move and all that came out was, "...Seph."

Sephiroth slashed the pod a few more times, his sword making bright blue sparks against the metal, before he stopped and stood there breathing heavily, his shoulders heaving.

"You saw it!" he said, "All of them...were human..."

"Human!" Zack said, "No way!"

It couldn't be possible. There was no way Shinra would do something so horrible...

Sephiroth turned toward him and Zack almost backed away at the wild look in his eyes and the pain on his flushed face.

"Ever since I was small, I've felt that I was different from the others..." Sephiroth said, sadness in his usually flat voice, "Special in some way...But...not like this..."

Sephiroth looked down, shaking his head and Zack just stood there, trying to make his mouth work or force his legs to move or _something_.

There was a loud noise and they both looked up to see one of the pods break open, a ghastly monster spilling out with a cry that chilled Zack to the bone.

"Am I...human...?" Sephiroth muttered, staring at the twitching thing that lay on the pod cover.

Without another word, Sephiroth sheathed his sword and walked past Zack toward the door.

"Seph!" Zack called after him.

Sephiroth just kept going.

Zack ran after him. "Seph, wait!"

Sephiroth acted like he didn't even notice him.

* * *

_The Nibelheim flashback is my favorite part of the entire game, I hope I did it justice so far. Part two up later tonight._


	26. Downfall Part Two

**Downfall – Part Two**

Zack knocked on the door to the bedroom. "Seph?"

There was no response. Zack checked the handle. It was locked.

"Seph, let me in," he said.

No response.

"Seph, _please_..." he said, jiggling the knob, "I want to talk to you."

There was still no response. Zack leaned his forehead against the door, squeezing his eyes shut. There was something wrong with Sephiroth and there was nothing he could do to help. He felt helpless and it hurt.

Telling himself that Sephiroth would be ready to talk to him later, he trudged down the stairs and into the kitchen to get something to eat.

-----

He was nearly finished when the door burst open and Cloud rushed in. He was wearing his helmet as he had been almost constantly since they arrived, but Zack could tell it was him by his smaller stature.

"The General's gone," he said, sounding a little scared.

Zack stood up so quickly the chair he'd been sitting in fell over. "What!"

"Someone said they saw him go into the Shinra mansion," Cloud said.

Zack rushed out and Cloud followed him. Once outside, they saw a group of people gathered around the gate to the large house.

Zack and Cloud looked at each other and Zack nodded. He was there, Zack was sure of it.

They ran to the gate, but once they were there, Cloud stopped and Zack looked at him. Cloud nodded once and Zack realized that Cloud was telling him to go in alone. He stood with his hand on his chin, preparing himself for whatever he might find inside, before nodding back and rushing in.

He searched every room in the mansion, but couldn't find Sephiroth. He was getting very worried that Sephiroth had really disappeared, until he came upon a strange looking section of wall in one room.

He tapped it and it sounded hollow.

"There must be something behind this..."

He slid his hand around and felt a switch, so he flipped it. A piece of the wall slid open, revealing a spiral staircase.

There in the dust, were footprints leading down. He followed them, wondering what would possess Sephiroth to go down here.

At the foot of the stairs was a dank tunnel. Rusty manacles hung from the walls and there were bones and other things Zack didn't want to think about scattered on the floor.

"Geez...What kind of place is this?" he muttered, as he walked through the tunnel.

He tried the first door he came to and found it locked, so he tried the next one. It opened, revealing something that looked like a combination of laboratory and library.

Sephiroth was pacing with a book in his hands, so absorbed in it that he didn't notice Zack.

"...an organism that was apparently dead was found in a 2000 year old geological stratum," he read softly, "Professor Gast named that organism 'Jenova'..."

"1972, November 13. Jenova confirmed to be an Ancient..."

"Seph?"

"1972, November 28. Jenova Project approved. The use of Mako Reactor 1 approved for use..."

Sephiroth turned and went down the hall a little, still reading, but stopped just inside and looked up. "My mother's name is Jenova...Jenova Project...Is this just a coincidence?"

He bowed his head, the book hanging limply in his hand. "Professor Gast..." he said, a hint of sorrow in his voice, "Why didn't you tell me anything...? Why did you die?"

Zack wanted to say something, but again, the words wouldn't come. Words had always come easy to him, but now, when they were needed the most, he didn't know what to say...

Zack went over to him. "Seph...?"

"Let me be alone..." Sephiroth said, softly.

Zack sighed and walked away.

-----

"Seph, come on," Zack said, his voice almost pleading, "Come upstairs and eat something."

Sephiroth muttered something about not being hungry.

"You've been down here all night," Zack said.

Sephiroth ignored him.

"Seph."

Sephiroth looked up at him. "I said I am not hungry."

Zack's stomach lurched. Sephiroth hadn't spoken that way to him since they'd first met in Wutai. It was almost like Zack was just another subordinate to him, like there had never been anything more between them.

"What's wrong with you?" Zack asked.

"Nothing," Sephiroth said, "I am fine."

"Bullshit," Zack said, grabbing Sephiroth's wrist as he reached for another book. "First you lock yourself in the inn and refuse to talk to me, then you come down here and start reading like you're possessed."

Zack tightened his grip on Sephiroth's wrist. "Tell me what's wrong."

Sephiroth pulled his wrist away. "Go away. You are irritating me."

Zack stared at him, those four words cutting through him, no less painful than if Sephiroth would've used his sword. Not once in the two years that Zack had known him had Sephiroth ever said anything like that.

Angry and hurt, Zack left without another word.

-----

Zack blinked up at the ceiling, disoriented. He'd been sitting on the dusty bed for hours, waiting for Sephiroth to come up from the basement, but he never did. He only laid down for a second, but he'd been so tired he'd fallen asleep.

As soon as Zack sat up, his heart began to race. Something didn't feel right, something didn't feel right at all.

He got up and practically ran down the stairs.

He heard the laughter before he even opened the door. It was laughter like he'd heard in Wutai when one of the members of his troop snapped under the stress.

Zack ran into the room and down the small hallway that led into the library. There were books spread everywhere. Most of the shelves were empty and a couple looked as if they'd been pulled away from the wall in some fit of rage.

Sephiroth sat at the book covered desk, head bowed.

"Who is it?" he said, looking up.

Zack backed away a step. Sephiroth's eyes were different. They were slightly cloudy and his strange cat-like pupils were dilated far more than they should've been. Zack didn't know why, but looking at them made his stomach churn.

"Hmph...traitor," Sephiroth said, his voice cold.

"Traitor?"

Sephiroth glared at him. "You ignorant traitor...I'll tell you."

He stood and faced the bookshelf and ran his hand down one of the spines. "This planet originally belonged to the Cetra. They were an itinerant race; they would migrate in, settle the Planet, and then move on...At the end of their journey they would find the Promised Land and supreme happiness."

Sephiroth turned to him and Zack suppressed a shiver. He'd never been scared of Sephiroth before, but he sure as hell was right now.

"But those that disliked the journey appeared," he said, "They took that which the Cetra and the Planet had made and gave nothing in return!"

Sephiroth looked down at the floor. "Those were your ancestors."

"Seph..." Zack said, trying to make him stop.

Sephiroth walked over to another shelf, ignoring Zack. "Long ago, disaster struck this planet. Your ancestors survived because they hid...The Planet was saved by sacrificing the Cetra. After that your ancestors continued to increase."

Sephiroth laid his hand on another book. "Now all that's left of the Cetra is in these reports."

"What does that have to do with you?" Zack said, wracking his brain for a way to bring Sephiroth out of this strange state.

"Don't you get it?" Sephiroth said. He came to stand next to Zack, but didn't look at him. "An Ancient named Jenova was found in the geological stratum of 2000 years ago...The Jenova Project."

Sephiroth bowed his head, holding his face. "The goal of The Jenova Project was to produce people with the powers of the Cetra...I am the one that was produced..."

Zack turned to look at him. "P-produced!"

Sephiroth was staring down the hallway. "Yes. Professor Gast, leader of the Jenova Project and genius scientist, produced me."

Sephiroth walked down the hallway and Zack watched him, trying to comprehend what he'd just been told. Sephiroth, the man he'd known for two years, the man who'd become his best friend, was nothing more than an experiment. He couldn't believe it. He _wouldn't _believe it.

"How...How did he...?" he muttered.

He ran after Sephiroth, but stopped behind him. Sephiroth was standing very still and it almost looked like he was straining to hear something.

"...Sephiroth?" Zack said, grabbing his shoulder.

Sephiroth pushed him away roughly. "Out of my way. I'm going to see my mother."

* * *

_Tried to make this part more than just the game script with narration...Part three coming probably tommorrow, because I need a break._  



	27. Downfall Part Three

**Downfall – Part Three**

Zack emerged from the mansion into the middle of an inferno. Every building in Nibelheim was engulfed in flames. He stepped over the bodies of villagers, looking around in pure shock.

"Sephiroth..." he said, "This is too terrible..."

"Zack!"

He turned and saw Cloud run up to him.

"Th-they're dead..." Cloud said, and Zack could tell by his voice that he was crying. "Everyone...He killed them..."

"I know, kiddo..." Zack said, "But now's not the time for cryin'. We gotta go see if we can help."

Cloud nodded. "Okay..."

"Come on," Zack said, and ran toward the town square.

"Hey!" someone yelled as they approached. It was Zangan, the man Zack had met in the inn.

"You're still sane, right?" Zangan said.

"I don't know how anybody could stay sane in a situation like this..." Zack said, looking around at the destruction, "Sephiroth did this, right?"

Zangan nodded. "Then he went up into the mountains. Tifa followed him a few moments ago."

The mountain. The reactor. Jenova.

"What!" Zack said. He turned to Cloud. "Help him. There's something I gotta take care of."

As soon as Zack climbed down into the reactor, he spotted another victim. It was Tifa's father.

Zack frowned at the body. "Why...?"

He shook his head and went inside, where he found Tifa lying there bleeding from a wound in her abdomen. She was still breathing, which made him feel a little better.

"I'm sorry," he said to her. He lifted her and propped her up against one of the pods.

"I won't ask you to forgive me," he said, only half speaking to her, "but let me put an end to this."

He climbed the stairs slowly, clutching the hilt of his sword. He knew what he had to do. Sephiroth had gone insane and Zack knew that he would rather be dead than continue living in that state. He would kill Sephiroth as his final service to his best friend, because that's how he would've wanted it.

He gripped his sword tighter and slashed the lock on the door with all his strength. The lock split in half and fell to the floor as the door slid open.

Zack stepped in and looked up to see Sephiroth standing there, before something that looked like some kind of demented steel angel.

"Mother," Sephiroth said, "Let's take this planet back together...I've thought of a great idea. Let's go to the Promised Land."

"Sephiroth!" Zack yelled, his pain turning to anger, "Why did you kill the villagers! Why did you hurt Tifa!"

"Mother, those fools have come again..." Sephiroth said, "You were supposed to be the ruler of this planet with your superior power and knowledge. But those fools...Those worthless fools took this planet away from you."

He started slowly up the odd path that led to the platform, his hands sweaty inside his gloves.

Sephiroth reached out. "But, don't be sad anymore. Come with me."

He pulled the thing away and the wires snapped, sending sparks flying. Then he threw it to the side to reveal a tube and inside the tube was a monster...That was the only word Zack could think of to describe it.

"We finally meet, Mother..." Sephiroth said, sounding happier than Zack had ever heard him sound.

Zack, now behind Sephiroth, put his sword to his throat, his arm shaking a little with his anger. "Sephiroth...What the hell happened to you?"

Sephiroth laughed. "I am the chosen one!"

In one movement Sephiroth grabbed his sword and whirled around, hitting Zack and driving him back down the path.

Zack fought him, driven by his anger, his guilt, his desire to make things right.

"I trusted you!"

Slash. Slash.

"I believed in you!"

Slash. Parry. Slash.

"You were my best friend!"

Feint. Slash.

"But...No, you're not the Sephiroth I used to know!"

Blade Beam.

Sephiroth swept the attack aside like it was nothing. "I was chosen to be this planet's ruler. I exist to return the planet from you fools into the hands of the Cetra. That is why I was born."

Zack stood, breathing heavily. His sword arm was throbbing and there was blood running down his face, but he didn't care.

Sephiroth charged him and sent him flying out the door and into one of the pod's in the other room.

Zack's vision went black for a moment as his entire body exploded in pain. As he drifted in and out of consciousness, two words ran through his head over and over. _I failed..._

He heard someone's footsteps on the stairs and opened his eyes. Though his vision was fuzzy, he recognized them as Cloud.

"Cloud..." he said, "Kill Sephiroth..."

He knew Cloud could do it; he'd always believed in him, so he let himself go, but not before glancing up at the door one last time.

_Seph...I'm sorry..._

Everything faded to black.

* * *

_I hated the last two, but __I'm actually very happy with this part_  



	28. Epitaph

**Epitaph**

I made a promise to myself a long time ago, back in Wutai. I promised that I'd do whatever I could to drive you from the path of destruction you were on. Why? Because I could see something in you that others couldn't see. Beyond the icy exterior I saw a wonderful person.

So, I tried my best to bring out that side of you. I gave all of me, expecting nothing back. Imagine my surprise when one day you started treating me differently, like a friend. I was expecting you to shut me out completely, yell at me, even hurt me. But instead you smiled and let me see the real you.

We had so many good times, and bad times too, but I'm not gonna talk about those. I remember the nights we used to spend in your apartment; those were always my favorite. It didn't matter if we talked or not, I was happy just to be with you. I know, though you didn't always show it, that you were happy too.

I remember the look that you'd get when I did things and said things to you that no one had ever before. It was like the look a little kid gets on Yule. I'm glad I could give you a chance to experience those things.

You taught me so much; how to fight better, how to clean the right way, how to get rid of nightmares, when to shut my mouth, and, most of all, you taught me what it really means to be a friend.

I don't think you ever knew just how much you meant to me. You were more than my friend; you were a part of me, like my own flesh and blood, the other half of my soul.

In the end, I couldn't keep my promise. There was more I could've done, I know it... I failed you and I'll always be sorry for that, and I hope that, wherever you are, you'll forgive me.

I'll miss you.

My General.

My comrade-in-arms.

My best friend.

Goodbye.

**-THE END-**

**

* * *

**_Thank you to all my readers. It was good having you along for the ride._:)**  
**


	29. Epilogue: Wings

**Epilogue: Wings**

Zack sat on a grassy cliff overlooking a large field of rainbow colored flowers, head titled back, basking in the warm sunlight. He was waiting...waiting for someone.

He opened his eyes and watched Aeris walk among the flowers. She looked up at him and waved. He grinned and waved back.

"Don't worry, he'll come," her voice said in his mind, "He's just being a slow-poke."

"He's gonna hear about it, too," Zack said aloud, "Makin' me wait..."

He stretched his wing, enjoying the feeling of the breeze blowing through its deep blue feathers. He often wondered why he had just one, when everyone else had two.

He'd asked Aeris about it once and she'd said something about how your wings reflected your soul. He had no idea what that meant, but that wasn't unusual, since he usually had no idea what half the stuff she said meant.

"You're just shallow," her voice said, playfully.

He glared down at her. "Hey!" he said back to her, "I am not!"

Her laughter echoed inside his head.

He shook his fist at her. "And stop reading my mind!"

A single feather floated down in front of him, and he grabbed it and studied it curiously. It was black, but tipped with the purest white he'd ever seen. He'd never seen anything like it.

"Hello, Zack."

Zack turned. Standing there behind him, looking just as he always had, with the addition of one black and white wing, was Sephiroth.

Zack smiled. "What took ya so long?"

Sephiroth smiled too. "I had some trouble along the way."

"Nii-chan!" Aeris landed beside him and ran to Sephiroth, hugging him.

He looked down at her, and there was a hint of sadness in his eyes. "I am sorry," he said softly.

She pulled away a little and looked up at him, her arms still around his waist. "Please don't be sad," she said, "None of that matters anymore."

She kissed him on the cheek. "Be happy, nii-chan!"

Zack laughed a little at the slightly embarrassed look on Sephiroth's face. "Nii-chan?"

Aeris turned to him. "He never told you? Dad told me a long time ago that he thought of Sephiroth as his own son, so I started calling him nii-chan."

"It suits you," Zack said, laughing.

"This is why I didn't tell you..." Sephiroth said.

"Mom and Dad will be so happy to see you," Aeris said, "Let's go find them!"

"What's the rush, Aer?" Zack said, "We have an eternity."

"You just want him all to yourself," Aeris said, pretending to be upset, "Well, fine, I'll leave you two alone then."

She flew back down to the flowers.

Sephiroth came and sat beside him. "_Tadaima_," he said, just as he had on that night so long ago.

Zack smiled and put his arm around Sephiroth's shoulders. "_Okaeri._"

And as they sat there, Zack finally realized why he had only one wing. He looked over at Sephiroth and smiled. Alone they only had one wing, but together they had two.

* * *

_This part was intended as a nice surprise. Hope everyone enjoyed it. I know they probably wouldn't have wings in the Lifestream, but I put them in anyway :p. Thanks again for reading and thank you for all your kind words._  



End file.
